A Chance of a Lifetime
by Brunette Chic
Summary: Don Flack thought he would never see Violet again.But when they get the same case,they're forced to work together.When she gets threatened,he takes her in and sends them on a journey neither of them will ever forget.Bad at summaries, sorry!
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: A Bizarre Nightmare**

**She should be the last person on his mind. But lately, thoughts of Violet seemed to be creeping back into Don's mind. He had put her from his mind the day she had walked out of his life, and he had been quite happy about that.**

**Lately though, Don had begun wondering how she was doing, where she was, and he couldn't figure out why. When she had left him five years ago, he hadn't given her a second thought. They had married young, and both realized what a terrible mistake that was.**

**He remembered the day they had met. He had been twenty-three at the time, and she was twenty-one. He had just finished his rookie days, and she had begun them only two years earlier. He had looked into her eyes that day and thought that he was completely lost.**

**They had married only eight months later, and then split up five months after that. She had walked out of his life, because she thought that he was so consumed with his work that she didn't matter. What she didn't know was that she had mattered; he just couldn't get out of work.**

**Don got up and went for a coffee and a slice of pizza, he knew that would entice Danny.**

"**Hey, man. What's up?", Danny greeted him.**

" **Hey. Nothing much. Looking through some old cases and trying to figure out the latest one we're working on", Don replied.**

" **Oh yeah, the guy who kills couples in their cars and then sets them on fire. How's that going by the way?", Danny asked.**

" **Not good. This person is good. I swear he lives in gloves", Don replied, taking a bite out of his pizza.**

" **There must be something. Hair samples, fingerprints anywhere. What's used to cause the fire?", Danny asked.**

" **Regular old gas. And a match. That's all. This person is simple, uses everyday stuff. There's nothing unique about it other than the method of killing for the couple", Don answered.**

" **What do you mean?", Danny asked, adding, " I'm still on my other case. Mac hasn't yet put this on the high priority list yet."**

" **Well, he always shoots the guy first. Always three, in the chest. Then, he moves onto the girl, and stabs her four times. This guy is a sick bastard", Don replied.**

" **No doubt. So, there's no suspect at all?", Danny asked.**

" **No. But then again, Stell can't find any prints or DNA samples at all. As I said, this person lives in gloves. And he wears shower caps or something. I suppose the hair would've been burnt, but any saliva or whatnot should still be there, but there's nothing", Don answered.**

" **Well, I'm not quite sure what to tell you about that one", Danny replied.**

" **There have been three couples killed so far. And no suspect at all. I'm at a loss now of what to do now. Mac wants me to keep working on it, especially since this guy could kill again at any moment", Don paused to check the vibrating of his cell phone, then added, " There's been another murder. Another couple has been killed. I got to go."**

" **Ok. Go, it's alright, I got it", Danny said. Don got up from the table and left, it would be another extremely long afternoon.**

**When he got to the crime scene, he saw a young woman, a detective, standing there with her back to him, talking to Mac. At first, he thought it was Angell, but then he realized that she wasn't there anymore.**

**He walked up to her and Mac, and said, " Another one, I see."**

**The woman turned around and he thought that maybe he was in a dream.**

" **Don?", she sounded surprised.**

" **Violet?", Don sounded just as surprised.**

" **Detective Flack?", Stella said.**

**Both of them turned at the same time and replied, " Yes?"**

**Stella looked dismayed and shocked. The woman who had turned out to also be an NYPD detective from Queens, was also a Flack? She didn't think Don had any sisters, and they didn't look anything alike. She wondered just who this Violet woman was.**

**Don and Violet just looked at each other. Then she turned her eyes away and murmured, " I think she meant you."**

**Don looked at the woman who had walked out of his life five years ago, and swore he was dreaming, maybe even having one of his bizarre nightmares. She looked more grown up, tougher somehow, and yet, still as beautiful as ever.**

**Don looked up at Stella, who was looking at him quizzically, then replied, " Yes?"**

**Stella shook her head and replied, " It's the same guy, Don. Girl was stabbed four times, guy was shot three times in the chest."**

**Don swore under his breath. He didn't like that anymore than the fact that his estranged wife was right beside him. And he hated the way his body reacted to her presence, completely betraying the last five years of utter self-confidence.**

**Violet kept her gaze down. The last thing she had expected this morning was running into her estranged husband. After she had left, neither of them had ever filed for divorce, which she though was strange, but Don had never liked doing things the simple way.**

**And what she hated worse was the fact that her pulse quickened just being near him again. He had so obviously changed from the boyish, young man she had married to a tough, hard man who apparently had only grown more handsome over the years. She could tell he was more muscled, with broader shoulders and a wider chest.**

**This was the guy she had given up on after only five months of marriage. No doubt he was a lady-killer, he had been when they were together, when he was only twenty-three. She didn't like the thought of having to work with him on a case. Her worst fears were just starting to come true.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Separate Lives**

**Her worst fears had indeed come true. Don Flack was a man Violet was hoping she would never have to see again. Not after she walked out. It was the last thing she expected. **

**She walked through the front door to her apartment and sighed. The toys were still on the floor, all of the things she'd forgot about after seeing him came back to her.**

" **Mommy! Mommy!", a frantic cry came from the living room.**

" **Yes, sweetie, I'm home", Violet replied, setting down her keys and her coat. Just then, a young girl came flying around the corner straight into Violet's arms.**

" **Mommy! I'm so glad you're home. Jasmine said I could stay up until nine so I could kiss you before I went to sleep", the young girl exclaimed.**

" **Did she now? Well, it's almost nine now, so go get ready for bed, I'll be there in a minute", Violet replied.**

**The little girl hopped out of her arms and ran for her bedroom. A young girl of about sixteen came around the corner.**

" **I'm sorry, Violet. I tried to get her to go to bed, but she wouldn't listen to me. She said she had to wait for you to come home, because she couldn't go to sleep without you here", the teenager said.**

" **Its okay, Jas. I'm glad I could see her smile before she goes to sleep", Violet replied.**

" **Rough day?", Jasmine asked, grabbing her coat and bag.**

" **Yeah, real rough. I swear these criminals just keep getting more inventive", Violet said, smiling weakly.**

" **Is there something else wrong? You're not usually this down", Jasmine replied.**

" **I seen a man I thought I would never ever see again. I walked out of his life about five years ago, and never looked back", Violet answered.**

" **You mean a boyfriend? Or a fiancé?", Jasmine inquired.**

" **No, he was my husband. We married young. I told you about him before. Detective Don Flack, remember? He is Emma's father", Violet replied.**

" **Oh yeah, I remember. The one you didn't divorce. I still remember hearing about the bombing that almost killed him", Jasmine replied.**

**Violet closed her eyes when she heard that. She remembered hearing about it on the news and looking down to see her daughter playing with a doll on the floor, thinking she may never meet her father.**

" **Oh, I'm sorry, Violet. I didn't mean to bring up bad memories", Jasmine quickly said.**

**Violet's head snapped back up. " No, it's okay. I'm fine, just some memories that are better left forgotten", she replied.**

" **Well, I guess I'd better get going", Jasmine announced.**

**Violet nodded and walked her to the door. Once Jasmine was gone, Violet sagged against the door as all the day's events finally caught up with her.**

" **Mommy! I'm ready for bed now", Emma exclaimed.**

**Violet walked over to Emma's room and stood at her door. She watched her daughter get into bed and then look up at her with those big, blue eyes of hers. Violet walked over to the bed and pulled the covers up.**

**She leaned forward and kissed Emma on the forehead before saying, " Goodnight, sweetheart. Have sweet dreams." And then she stood up and left the room.**

**Once out in the hall she sighed before going into her room to have a long, hot shower. She then made coffee and sat on the couch to flip through channels. Not long after, she fell asleep thinking about how strange it was to run into her husband after so long apart.**

" **Who is she?", Mac asked.**

" **Who is who?", Don replied.**

" **Don't play dumb with me, Flack. The detective at the scene today. Who is she? She has the same last name as you", Mac commented.**

" **Yes, I know that. It was pretty obvious when we both answered to Stella earlier", Don replied, trying desperately to get Mac off the subject of his estranged wife.**

" **Okay, well then, who is she?", Mac repeated.**

**Don sighed. " She's my wife. I married her five years ago, and within five months of that, she left me. Got the answers you want, Mac?", Don explained.**

**Mac looked taken back. " You were married?", he asked.**

" **Still am. I never divorced her and she never divorced me either. Maybe I should wonder about that, but either way, I'm a married man, and have been for the last five years", Don replied.**

" **So that's why you've never settled down. You already had!", Danny exclaimed from behind him.**

**Don shut his eyes and groaned. Then turned around and said, " No, I didn't. She left me, we never got divorced, end of story."**

" **But that means you can't date without cheating on her", Danny said, frowning.**

" **She never cared. It wouldn't surprise me if she was with some other guy. Ours wasn't exactly a loving marriage, as short as it was", Don muttered.**

" **But still, she left after five years and you've remained faithful to her? Even though she wasn't with you? Why didn't you get a divorce?", Danny asked.**

" **Because, I'm a traditional kind of man. I only marry once, it's how I was raised", Don replied.**

" **So, why did you let her go?", Danny asked.**

" **She wanted to leave, I wasn't gonna force her to stay", Don answered, then added, " Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go home and take a shower."**

**Don got home and collapsed on the couch with a beer. It had been a long day and an even longer night with Danny and Mac questioning him about Violet. She was the one part of his life he hoped to forget. Unfortunately now that he was involved in the same case as her, he would not be forgetting her anytime soon.**

**He had believed that he really loved Violet Sharpe, which was why he had married her. He never really understood why she left, only that she had and he hadn't gone after her. He regretted that now, but he couldn't change anything.**

**He remembered seeing her walk into the precinct and forgetting his whole case including the suspect that he was escorting to the interrogation room. She had walked right up to him and asked which way it was to the captain's office. He watched her walk away thinking he would have to find out her name later.**

**All the memories of them crowded in, and Don tried to shut them out, but he couldn't. It seemed that he wasn't going to get piece of mind anytime soon. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Wearing Gloves**

**Don leaned back in his chair and looked over the reports of the first three couples that were killed. They were all killed in the same way. **

**Everyone thought that perhaps this person had a bad situation with a girlfriend in a car and he went off the deep end. It was like grabbing at straws, but it was the best theory they had.**

**Don had no suspects, but it could be any person out there. The person had to have been killed first, but they couldn't figure out exactly how he would keep the girl quiet. She would have been screaming quite a bit. He could've threatened her, Don supposed.**

**It dampened his mood more to find out that there was no plausible DNA or specific items used to kill them. Just a regular kitchen knife and a small nine-millimetre glock. Obviously, the gun had a silencer to it, which would help if they could find the bullets.**

**Other than that, Don couldn't figure out exactly how to tie in the person. He would have to make a mistake sometime, but not anytime soon, it appeared. Moreover, with Violet hanging around the precinct, Don was barely able to get work done.**

**Don looked up as the door opened and Violet walked in. Immediately, his breath hitched as he watched her walk into the room. A few of the other male police officers turned to talk to her.**

**As he watched, Violet smiled and laughed at what some of the others were saying to her. Don tensed in his chair and tried to look away. However, he heard her laugh and looked over to see one of his long-standing friends flirting with his wife.**

**Don realized that he was getting up and sat back down again. This was completely ridiculous, he hadn't seen Violet in five years and yet he was acting like a jealous husband. Ok, so he was her husband, but he was definitely **_**not**_** jealous.**

**Violet spotted him and started walking over to him, excusing herself from her admirers. Don made a note to talk to some of them later, but then mentally shook himself and reminded himself that Violet wanted nothing to do with him.**

"**Hey…umm…partner", Violet greeted him, then added, muttering, "Or so it would seem."**

**Don smiled at that before saying, " Morning. How was the ride in?" **

**He pretended indifference to her because he didn't want her to think that he cared about her flirting with his friends.**

" **It was alright. Damn traffic though, that's the worst part about this city", she answered.**

" **What? You don't put on your lights to get through the crowds?", he asked, grinning.**

**Violet looked shocked. " You do that?", she asked.**

" **Of course, it's the only way to get around this city", Don answered, seriously.**

" **Don! That's against the law", Violet replied.**

" **I know, but we make the laws", Don argued, teasingly.**

" **No, we abide by them. We took an oath when we began this, remember?", Violet reminded him.**

" **Oh yeah, either way, even if I did do it, I'd never live with myself because of the Hippocratic Oath that I took", Don admitted, grinning.**

" **You sly fox. Anyways, enough of that mindless chatter, what about the killings?", Violet asked.**

" **Well, it's like looking for a straw coloured needle in a haystack. This guy leaves no fingerprints, no DNA, no hair samples…nothing. We have nothing to get him on. This guy lives in gloves, I swear", Don answered.**

" **Yeah, sure. So do the CSI's. But, they have to take them off sometime. So does this guy", Violet reasoned.**

" **Yes, but he hasn't done that yet. Which means it could be awhile before anyone actually catches him doing something wrong. He's obviously smart, and a clean freak. If he wears gloves all the time, he has to be clean", Don replied.**

" **That's true. So it just hasn't happened yet. He will remove them and make a mistake, not yet, but he will", Violet said.**

" **Wanna bet?", Don asked.**

" **I don't have to. I've been involved in enough cases to know that he will make a mistake. He's only beginning, you know", Violet replied, matter-of-factly.**

" **Well, aren't you observant. How come I don't remember that?", Don asked.**

" **Because, you were the **_**opposite**_** of observant", Violet replied, then turned and walked away. She left Don sitting there, gaping at her.**

" **I was not unobservant", Don muttered to himself.**

" **Hey Mac, tell me you guys got something off that crime scene yesterday", Violet pleaded.**

" **Sorry, Detective, nothing yet", Mac replied.**

" **I told you to call me Violet. That way, we don't get me mixed up with Don", Violet said.**

" **I know, and I will. I also know you aren't Don's sister", Mac replied.**

**Violet looked away. " What has he told you? I bet he told you that I'm the bitch that got away", Violet replied, sarcastically.**

" **No. I know that you're his wife. He also told me you guys married hastily, at a young age. You don't have to be ashamed of it, Don doesn't hold anything against you", Mac explained.**

" **Or, at least, nothing that he's told you. Did he tell you that I left him five years ago, we were only married five months. I left and never came back. He holds that against me, he just doesn't tell anyone anything about it", Violet replied.**

" **That's not true. Don's a good guy, he wouldn't hold it against you. Yes, you married young, and it didn't work out, doesn't mean that he's mad about it", Mac said.**

" **He's different than I remember him. A lot tougher, but he still has that weird sense of humour, I see. At least that never faded", Violet replied, smiling at the old memories that welled up.**

**Mac watched the reminiscent look that crossed her face and knew that the feelings between them weren't fake as they both made it seem. Violet still cared for Don, as Don cared for her, even though it would kill them to ever admit it to anyone, including each other.**


	4. Chapter 4

_**Hi guys, here's the newest addition to this new story. Thanks for all the support with the reviews, I really appreciate it. Keep reading and reviewing so I know how I'm doing. **_

_**Disclaimer:I do not own any part of the CSI:NY franchise(no matter how much I wish I owned Don Flack).I only own the characters that I invented(eg. Violet, Emma, the case, the killer, and anyone else not from the show).**_

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**Chapter 4: The Phone Call**

"**You just couldn't leave well enough alone, could you?", Violet yelled.**

" **What did you want me to do? Ignore them?", Don yelled back.**

" **It wasn't anyone else's business but ours, and you damn well know it!", Violet screamed.**

" **I couldn't just ignore them, they're my coworkers, not to mention my friends. They asked who you were. They had a right to know if they're going to be working with you", Don reasoned.**

" **I can't believe you told them about us though, you couldn't have just said that we were married and leave it at that?", Violet asked, still shaking with anger.**

**It was one thing to be married at a young age, but no one would understand why they were still married if they did not love each other, and she didn't love Don. She just could not understand why Don would tell them their whole story, or most of it anyway, there was one detail he knew nothing about.**

" **No, I would've but Danny kept asking more questions. He's my best friend, I couldn't very well not tell him the rest. I've lied to him for the past five years about it as it is", Don said, guilt leaking into his voice.**

**Violet didn't answer for a few minutes, seeing the guilty look on his face. It only made her angrier that she felt bad about him lying now. She turned around and started to leave.**

" **Where are you going?", Don asked, his voice sounding forlorn and lost.**

**That stopped her in her tracks. She turned slightly before saying, " I can't argue with you when you sound so reasonable." Then she left.**

**Don sat down and thought about everything that had gone on for the past five years. He had never told anyone about Violet because she had left him and he thought she'd never come back. **

**He never thought he would ever have to tell anyone about Violet, but the past had a way of coming back and biting you in the ass, which was exactly what it was doing now. Don shook his head and went in search of a coffee.**

**Violet sat for a long time in her car thinking. She had been the one to leave, so she should have filed for divorce, she knew that. Nevertheless, she had been surprised when she had never been served divorce papers.**

**She distinctly remembered the day she left him. They had been arguing constantly, and she was getting frustrated with him, so she had packed up her stuff while he was at work, and she wrote him a note telling him she was leaving, then she left the key on the table along with the note, and walked away.**

**She had found that she could be transferred from one precinct to the other and she did, once she got an apartment. It was around that time that she had found out she was pregnant. She had cried for days once she found out. **

**She snapped out of her reverie when her cell phone rang. **

" **Hello?", she answered.**

" **You have a very pretty daughter, Violet", the voice replied.**

**Violet stilled. She didn't recognize the voice and the number didn't come up on her screen. She knew it was a man, however, he had a very deep voice.**

" **Excuse me? I have no idea what you're talking about", Violet replied, calmly.**

" **You know exactly who I'm talking about. That little girl with long, dark brown hair and blue eyes. You know your own daughter, Violet. I know her too, she's very pretty, along with her name. Emma. A very pretty name, if I do say so myself. You wouldn't want anything bad to happen to her, now would you?", the man asked.**

**Violet shook her head but realized he wouldn't see it and then said, " No. I wouldn't."**

" **I thought so", the man replied cheerfully, then added seriously, " I know where you live. I know where your daughter goes to school, and I know where you work. Lay off the case, or I will hunt you down and kill you and your daughter. Am I in anyway unclear?"**

"**No", Violet replied, in a shaking voice.**

"**Good", and then the line went dead.**

**Violet sat there and looked at her phone. The guy wanted her to lay off the case, and she was only working on one case right now. He must have been the killer, the only problem was, he knew where she lived. Moreover, he knew where Emma went to school. She didn't know what to do for once.**

**Shaking, Violet got out of her car and locked it. Then she started feeling her way along her car because she didn't quite trust herself. As she walked around to the back of it, she ran straight into someone's arms. Violet screamed.**

"**Whoa. Violet, relax", Don said, soothingly. He held her in his arms, and it felt good. He looked down at her face before adding, "Violet, what's wrong?"**

**Violet wondered what would make her ask that and then she realized she had tears running down her face. She argued with herself briefly about telling him the truth, and then made her decision.**

"**I got a phone call", Violet said.**

"**A phone call? About what?", Don coaxed her.**

" **I was threatened. The killer phoned me and told me to quite this case, to leave it alone", Violet explained, leaving Emma out of it.**

**Don's eyes darkened. " He threatened you? How do you know it was him?", he asked.**

" **Because I'm not working on any other cases, Don. He knows where I live, where I work, hell he probably knows where my parents live too", she answered.**

" **What did he say? He just wants you to leave it alone?", Don asked.**

" **Yes, I don't know why, so don't ask me. I can't leave it alone, I need to find out who is killing innocent people", Violet replied.**

" **It's not worth risking your life for", Don stated.**

" **You risk your life everyday, Don. This is no different", Violet replied.**

" **It is different, because I don't get phone calls everyday from psycho killers threatening to kill me. This time is different, Vi. You can't risk your life for this, I won't let you", Don said.**

" **What are you gonna do, Don? Are you gonna chain me in a room and leave me there with guard dogs?", Violet asked sarcastically, before backing out of his arms.**

" **Yes, as a matter of fact, I will. And I'll put every good police officer I know down there too", Don replied, reaching for her.**

" **You can't, Don. You have no right to do that", Violet said, the humour leaving her eyes. Then she added, " And don't touch me."**

" **I have every right, Violet. I am your husband", Don said.**

" **On, now you want to be the protective husband. It's a little late for that, Don. In addition, it's not your right. You aren't my husband, and haven't been for five years. You lost every right you had to me when you let me walk away from you", Violet replied, then turned and fled from him. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Protection Plan**

"**You can't be serious! I don't need protection", Violet yelled.**

"**Relax, Violet. We do need to protect you, though. You're a part of this case, and our team for now, we can't let anything bad happen to you", Mac replied, calmly.**

"**Still, I can take care of myself", Violet said, tilting her chin up a notch.**

"**Violet, we won't let anything happen to you, we can't. And, you obviously need protection", Don replied, dryly.**

**Violet turned and glared at him.**

"**It's none of your concern, Junior, so back off", she answered, icily.**

**Don flinched noticeably before replying, "Look, I won't let anything happen to you and I've made up my mind, so you can't budge it. And neither will Mac, you need protection, so we're gonna protect you."**

**Violet was fuming inside and it appeared she was about to rake her nails down Don's face any minute now. Mac needed to diffuse her quickly before she did something she would regret. **

**He could tell that she didn't want to be protected because she had lived on her own for five years without trouble, but she didn't know how this killer acted, so it was dangerous. Then Mac got a brilliant idea.**

"**I agree with Don, Violet. You need protection. You should stay with him", Mac suggested.**

**Both turned and glared before yelling, "WHAT!?!"**

"**Look, Don's one of the best protectors around. You can trust him", Mac reasoned.**

"**He may be, but…no, just no. I'm not staying with him", Violet replied.**

"**But what?", Don asked curiously.**

**Violet turned and looked at him. There was some small emotion in those brown eyes of hers, but Don couldn't fathom what it was. Then she blinked and it was gone. **

" **But nothing. I'm not staying with you, so forget it", Violet replied, angrily.**

" **Yes, you are", Mac and Don both replied at the same time.**

" **No, I'm not", Violet said.**

" **Yes, you are", Don replied.**

" **No, Don, I'm not. Why are you agreeing with Mac anyways?", Violet asked.**

" **Because, it's true. I can protect you better than anyone else can. I don't trust anyone else to protect you", Don stated.**

" **Yeah, you can protect me, when you **_**are**_** around, that is. And, besides, you don't need to trust anyone to protect me. Because I don't even trust you, so there's no need for this", Violet said, calmly.**

" **Wow, you are more stubborn than I remember", Don said.**

" **That's because you were never around long enough to find out exactly how stubborn I was", Violet replied, smiling sweetly.**

" **Ouch, Don. She's good. Hey, Violet, you wanna give me some pointers on how to do that?", Danny asked, walking into Mac's office.**

" **A good retorter never reveals her secrets", she threw back.**

" **Damn, I was so hoping you could help me with my comebacks", Danny said, teasingly frowning.**

" **Maybe I will. But only if you buy me a drink first", Violet replied, and then winked.**

**Don definitely didn't like his best friend flirting with his wife. Danny had been with Lindsay for a long time, until he cheated on her. He loved Lindsay, but things happened and she would never forgive him for it. He still didn't like Danny making a move on Violet right in front of him.**

" **I think I'm in love", Danny said, grinning.**

" **I think I'm not", Violet retorted.**

**Danny laughed. " Ouch, you really know how to ruin a mans pride, you know that?", Danny replied.**

" **It's how I survive in a precinct full of men, you learn a few tricks after awhile", Violet said, grinning at Danny.**

**Don was absolutely fuming now. He hated the fact that Violet smiled at Danny all the time, and yet with him she usually scowled. She was also openly laughing, which was nice, except the fact that she was laughing with Danny. He hated everything about this situation.**

" **Well, I can't say I blame the guys for trying, you're gorgeous", Danny replied.**

**Violet blushed. She should be used to it, being the only female detective in the precinct, but still hearing it made her feel beautiful.**

" **Thank you, Danny. That's sweet. But I'm still not helping you with your comebacks", Violet replied, laughing.**

" **Shit. What's a guy got to do to get a little help with his comebacks here?", Danny asked.**

" **Well, you could help me out of staying with Don for protection", Violet replied, smiling sweetly at him.**

**Danny frowned. " Why do you need protection?", he asked.**

**So Violet explained the whole tale about the phone call, leaving out Emma. And then she explained the plan that Mac and Don had to keep her safe.**

" **You might as well take it, I mean you won't be alone, and Don's the most trusted person here for us", Danny said.**

" **You betrayer! My God, can no one believe I can take care of myself? I've been doing it for five freaking years now!", Violet exclaimed.**

" **It's just that you live across town, so if something happened to you we couldn't get to you fast enough. None of us want to lose you, Violet", Mac replied.**

" **It's not like you ever cared before, Don", Violet replied icily.**

**Don flinched and looked away. " You walked away, Violet. Not me", he replied, quietly.**

" **Yeah, but you never stopped me, or came looking for me! I never filed for divorce because I thought you would do it. I never heard from you ever again, so I was sure you never cared at all", Violet exclaimed.**

" **Either way, none of the team wants to lose you to him. You'll stay with Don, and that's final", Mac stated, ending it all.**

**Violet turned to Danny for help, but he shrugged and looked away. She looked at Don from the corner of her eye and found him watching her. He looked like he was waiting at the gallows to be hanged.**

**She briefly thought about the pros and cons of staying with him. She knew she needed protection, but she didn't want to stay with Don because of Emma. He would find out about her, and that would be the end of her freedom.**

**She also didn't trust herself around him. Don made feelings she hadn't known existed come out. Not that she had much of social life between Emma and work to base those feelings on. She just knew she couldn't be alone with him. And then there was Emma's school, she didn't know what to tell them.**

**After briefly having an internal war with herself, she turned to him and said, "You might as well come with me to grab my stuff. I don't want to get ambushed at my apartment." **


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Luggage**

**Violet unlocked her door but it was quiet inside her apartment, which was unusual. She poked her head around the door and peaked in, but there was no one there. She moved inside quietly, despite Don's whispered protests.**

"**Hello? Is anybody home?", Violet asked.**

**No one answered but Jasmine came around the corner and scared Violet half to death.**

" **Oh boy, Violet! I'm so sorry!", Jasmine exclaimed.**

" **No, its okay, I'm just a little on edge right now, that's my fault, I'm sorry", Violet replied.**

**Don looked at the young teenager and wondered who she was and what she was doing in Violet's apartment. He supposed she could be a roommate, but she looked a little young to be on her own.**

**Don cleared his throat to stop the chatter. " Excuse me, Violet, but who's this?", he asked.**

**Violet turned around. " Oh sorry, Don. This is Jasmine, a neighbour and friend of mine, she helps me out, especially on nights", Violet introduced, then turned to Jasmine and added, " Oh yeah, and Jasmine, this is Detective Don Flack, the husband I was telling you about."**

**Jasmine and Don shook hands and then Jasmine stepped away. **

" **Violet, what's wrong?", Jasmine asked.**

" **Umm…well, the case I told you that I was working on, the killer called me and threatened me and Emma", Violet said.**

**Don turned to Violet and wondered who Emma was. Obviously, someone important to Violet or the killer wouldn't have threatened her.**

" **Emma? Why would he do such a thing?", Jasmine asked.**

" **He wants me to lay off the case, but you know that that ain't gonna happen. Look, the thing is, he knows where I live, where Emma's school is, and where I work. I need to leave so I'm going to stay with Don", Violet explained.**

" **What about Emma? You can't leave her unprotected", Jasmine stated.**

**Violet glanced at Don from the corner of her eye and she could see the puzzled expression on his face.**

" **She's coming with us, I won't leave her alone, I never will", Violet replied.**

" **Okay, excuse me again, but who's Emma?", Don asked.**

**Violet mentally slapped herself. She hoped he would forget until she had to get Emma, but apparently he wasn't gonna let it go.**

" **My daughter", Violet answered simply, then walked farther into her apartment.**

**Don felt it hit him like a ton of bricks. Violet had a daughter, obviously with some other man, because he couldn't be the father. He stormed after her anyway.**

" **A daughter?!", he half-yelled.**

**Violet turned around and shushed him.**

" **Yes, a daughter, not that it's any of your concern. Her name is Emma. She's only in senior kindergarten, so you'll have to be gentle with her", Violet explained in a whisper.**

" **You didn't think that a daughter would be news to tell me?", Don asked.**

" **You weren't there, so it didn't matter. I didn't want to ruin your freedom again by telling you that I have a child. That would be rude, so I left you to your life and I lived mine just fine until you came back. You're gonna have to deal with her for how long it takes to catch this jerk", Violet replied.**

**She opened Emma's door and peered in. Emma was sleeping like a baby, which was basically what she was. Violet closed the door and turned around.**

" **There's no use waking her. I'll get my stuff and then I'll gather hers. Then we can grab her and get out of here. I don't like staying here where he knows he can find me", Violet stated.**

**Violet went into her room and closed the door. She packed up lots of clothes and pyjamas, along with undergarments and makeup. Once she was sure she had enough for at least two weeks, she dragged her bags out into the hall.**

**Then Violet turned to Emma's stuff. She packed up enough clothes and such for about two weeks before grabbing a few toys and dolls Emma played with. She also grabbed Emma's favourite blanket and a few stuffed toys. Then she dragged Emma's stuff out into the hallway and out to the front door.**

" **Do you really think you'll need all that stuff?", Don asked, as he seen Violet come down the hallway dragging about three or four bags.**

" **I packed enough for at least two weeks, for both me and Emma. I have to be prepared, you learn that once you become a parent", Violet answered, dropping the bags at the front door.**

" **Ok, so are you ready to go?", Don asked, jokingly.**

" **Certainly not. We have to get Emma now, come on, time to get used to children", Violet said, taking Don's hand and dragging him to Emma's room.**

**He looked down at the small girl lying so still in her bed and he felt his heart melt. She was the cutest thing he had ever seen.**

**Violet watched Don's expression change from one of disappointment to one of pure adornment. His eyes went the softest Violet had ever seen them. She smiled to herself at his happiness at meeting his daughter for the first time.**

" **Okay, I'll take the bags if you take Emma", Violet said.**

**Don looked up at Violet. " You want me to take her? What if don't do it right and she wakes up?", he asked, suddenly panicking.**

" **Relax, you'll do fine. Just carry her gently. I'm glad the elevator works or we'd still be walking down the stairs by morning", Violet commented dryly.**

**Don looked down at the sleeping child and felt himself grow perplexed.**

" **How do I pick her up properly?", Don asked.**

" **Surely you've done that before with rescuing children", Violet said.**

" **Yeah but they were overrun with shock and were usually screaming anyways. I don't want to wake her, how do I do it properly?", he asked.**

" **Ok, put your one arm under her back and the other under her knees and lift carefully", she replied, then watched as he did as she said. " Perfect, let's go."**

**Don looked down at Emma as he carried her to the elevator. He had adjusted her so she'd be more comfortable, she certainly seemed comfy. As he settled himself in the elevator, he felt a shift in his arms. He looked down to see Emma curling closer to his chest, and he smiled.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: A Mystery of the Past**

**Violet watched as Don set Emma down on the bed. He was very gentle with her. She had slept all the way to his house, which wasn't too long now that night time had set in.**

**She knew that Emma enchanted Don. Her daughter had that effect on people. She just had a way of catching their attention and holding it. Violet had always thought it was her eyes, because of their unique colour, but now she knew it was just Emma.**

**Don walked over to her and turned around just to look at Emma.**

"**She has that effect on people, you know", Violet said.**

"**What do you mean?", Don asked.**

" **She does that to people. She draws their attention. I always thought it was her eyes, but apparently it's just her", Violet replied. Then turned and walked out of the bedroom.**

**Don followed her and wondered what she meant. Did that mean Emma had some exotic eye colour? He briefly wondered who the father was because both he and Violet were always safe. He felt a twinge of jealousy that Violet let some other guy get her pregnant but when Don had mentioned it to her, she had completely freaked out at him. He shook away the jealousy.**

" **So, people are always drawn to her?", Don asked.**

" **Yeah, all the time. We go to the store and I can never get away. She just draws them in, but I always thought it was her eyes", Violet replied.**

" **She doesn't have your eyes?", Don asked.**

" **Nope. She has her father's eyes", Violet responded, caught up for a moment in memory.**

**Don seen her eyes glaze over when she said it so he knew she must be thinking about the father of Emma. He felt very disappointed, so he got up and briefly wished her a goodnight and then went to have a shower.**

**Violet wondered why Don left so quickly, then she shook her head and wondered why she even cared. It didn't matter that Don was Emma's father, he still hadn't raised her.**

**Violet supposed she was still mad because he had never come after her. She should've left her ring, but she didn't have the heart to do it. She'd hoped he had loved her, even a smidge, just enough that he cared about her and wanted her back.**

**She curled up on the couch and fell asleep wondering why she even cared about it now. The past was long gone, and there was nothing she could do about it. Don didn't care about her, he never had, Violet just had to accept that.**

**Don sat on his bed and reread the note that Violet had left him five years ago. It was all worn around the edges from him unfolding it and refolding it back up again. It simply read:**

**Dear Don,**

**I'm sorry. I am leaving now. The reason is simple, we fight all the time and I can't handle that. You know I'll always care about you, but I believe we need to go our separate ways. I can't stay where I'm not loved, and I won't get in your way anymore. Enjoy your freedom.**

**Forever,**

**Violet**

**He remembered reading it and wondering where she had gone. It had seemed obvious that she had wanted her freedom so he had never gone after her. He thought a few times that maybe he should have, but he shook it off and left it alone.**

**He had never figured out what the "forever" part of her ending meant, but it didn't matter. He had thought she had never loved him, so he had given up on her. Perhaps he shouldn't have, but he did, and now he regretted it absolutely.**

**The first thing Violet heard was a small voice in her ear whispering, " Mommy. Mommy, wake up!"**

**Violet groaned and then opened her eyes. " What is it, pumpkin?", she asked, sleepily.**

" **I need to go to the bathroom. Where are we?", Emma asked.**

" **Oh, sweetie. We're at a friend of mine's. Look, I made a mistake, and now there are some complications that mean we can't stay at home. So we're gonna stay here for a few days", Violet explained.**

**She didn't see Don come up behind her and was now standing there inside the living room just watching Violet and Emma.**

**Violet acted completely different. Her posture was protective and her face appeared softer from where Don could see. She was so beautiful with her daughter. He tried to get a better look without scaring her but he couldn't see her.**

" **Good morning", he announced.**

**Violet turned to him and she still looked sleepy. He felt his body start to respond to her, and he had to take careful steps to not fall down.**

**He heard Emma ask Violet who he was, and she explained that he was just a friend she needed to stay with. **

" **Do you want coffee?", he yelled into the living room.**

" **Yes please", Violet replied.**

**He made enough for two people and then considered Emma. He heard them coming back from the bathroom, and so he decided to ask if they were hungry. He never ate before he left.**

" **Are you guys hungry?", he asked.**

**He heard Violet ask Emma if she was hungry but he only heard a muffled response.**

" **Yes, we're both hungry. If you have the ingredients, I'll make pancakes", Violet replied.**

" **You don't have to do that, you know", Don replied.**

**Violet walked into the kitchen with Emma trailing behind her. It was obvious that despite the attention the girl must get, she was still very timid to strangers.**

" **It's ok. I do it every morning, so I'm very used to it", Violet replied, then with his telling of where everything was, she set to work.**

" **Wow, they sure look good", Don commented from behind her.**

**Violet couldn't help but notice his body heat while he was standing behind her and looking over her shoulder. He was so close she could feel his breath on her neck. If she turned really fast to the left, she could catch his lips with hers. Violet gave herself a mental shake and dismissed the thoughts from her head.**

**She served them and then headed for the shower to dress for work. She had no idea what to do with Emma for the day, they were nowhere near the school, and she didn't trust it anyway. **

**Don was happily eating when Violet walked into the kitchen. She looked breathtaking in her dress pants and blouse. She had her hair up and very little makeup on. He choked on his food.**

**She looked at him. " Are you okay?", she asked.**

**He nodded and took a sip of his coffee.**

" **Mom, who is he?", Emma asked. She was staring at Don with big, bright blue eyes.**

**Don took notice of her eyes. They were the same shade of blue as his eyes. He also noticed that she had very dark brown hair, so dark it looked black. She wasn't very old, five maybe six years old, at least.**

" **Sweetie, this is Detective Don Flack", Violet introduced, scooping up two pancakes and loading them with syrup and butter.**

**Emma's eyes brightened as she continued to stare at Don. " You're a detective too?", she asked, awed.**

**He nodded, not sure he could trust his voice to answer her. She was as beautiful as her mother, yet she didn't quite look so much like Violet. In fact, she looked more like…no he couldn't think that. It wasn't even possible.**

" **That's amazing. Mommy's a detective too. Why are we staying with you? And, Mom, can I go to school today?", Emma asked, excited now.**

" **Umm… your Mom will have to explain why you guys are here", Don answered.**

" **And no, hunny, you can't. Not today. We're across town, too far to school, and it's not safe right now", Violet answered between mouthfuls. **

" **So where am I going while you guys are at work?", Emma asked, downing the last of her orange juice. Don prided himself for buying the same kind of juice that Emma loved.**

" **I don't rightly know. We shall have to see what we'll do. Perhaps I can find a daycare somewhere close and you can go there for the day", Violet answered, looking hopefully at Don.**

" **Or, because I'm not sure there is, I've never really looked for daycares before around here. Therefore, if we can't find one, I know a woman just down the hall. She's very trustworthy, she's a single mother of one. A very sweet young woman, she wouldn't harm a fly", Don replied.**

**Violet felt a speck of unwanted jealousy creeping up on her at the way he talked about this neighbour of his. Violet tried to brush it away, but when it wouldn't leave, she gave up with a twinge of annoyance following it.**

" **I suppose we should hurry. We need to find a place for Emma to stay soon, we should've brought Jasmine", Violet said, then thinking harder, looked up at Don with a panicked expression.**

" **What is it, Violet?", Don asked.**

" **Jasmine. She's always at my home, babysitting for me. He may not have mentioned it, but what if she's in danger too? Don, we have to go get her as well, she needs protection", Violet explained quickly.**

**Don reached over and put his hand over Violet's. " It's alright, once we find a place for Emma, we'll go get Jasmine", he replied. However, it wasn't a good feeling he had in his stomach right at the moment.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Miscalculations**

" **Don, the door's open", Violet said.**

**He placed Violet behind him as he walked up to Jasmine's door. It was slightly ajar, which actually scared Don. He pushed it open and then moved back against the wall. No one came out or shot at them, so Don removed his gun and crept inside. **

**Violet crept in and then spread out from him. The apartment was a mess. There were chairs knocked over and plates all over the floor. However, there was no sound or movement in the apartment, which made Violet more nervous. She would never forgive herself if something bad happened to Jasmine because of her.**

" **Jasmine? Hello? Is anyone here?", Violet called.**

**There was no answer at all from the apartment. Not even a movement or something to give away someone's position.**

" **All clear in the parents bedroom", Don said.**

" **All that's left is Jasmine's room. And her door is open a bit", Violet reported.**

**Don moved to Jasmine's room and then pushed open the door. No one shot anything at him. So he moved inside. What he saw shocked him. " Violet!", he called.**

**Violet moved into the room and then ran over to Jasmine. She checked for a pulse and her breathing, which were both somewhat slow but still going.**

" **She's alive", Violet breathed, feeling relief flood her. She started to feel for a wound of some sort and found a lump on the back of Jasmine's head. She looked around the room and figured Jasmine must've tripped and smacked her head off of her desk.**

**Don got on the phone immediately and asked for an ambulance and the rest of the CSI's. He would need their help to find prints and DNA in the room, even though he doubted they would find anything.**

" **An ambulance is on the way and so is the team", Don said, then seeing her worried expression, added, " We'll get this guy, Violet, I promise." Although it shocked him that he had reassured her by promising that he would find the guy who did all of this and put him away. He had never done that before. He shook it away because he couldn't deal with that right now.**

**Violet shook her head anyway. " Don't promise me that, Don. Promises don't stick, especially not with this guy. I appreciate the gesture, I really do, but you don't need to do that", Violet replied.**

**He watched as she bent protectively over Jasmine and told her to stay alive for her and her parents. She was so worried about Jasmine that it broke his heart just watching her. He really wanted to find this sick bastard and kill him. His eyes widened in shock at the turn of his thoughts.**

" **You alright, Don?", Violet asked.**

**Don looked down at her to find her dark brown eyes peering up at him from the ground. " Yeah, yeah I'm fine", he replied. She gave him a rare smile and turned back to Jasmine.**

**He heard sirens in the background and looked out the windows to find the ambulance pulling up. He sighed in relief and then went to meet the paramedics at the door.**

**While Violet told the paramedics what she had found, Don went to check out the door to the apartment. It didn't appear to be kicked in, so Jasmine must've answered the door when he knocked. Then he gained entry by pretending he needed to speak to her parents or something like that.**

" **So how did he get in?", Violet asked from behind him, in a soft voice.**

" **He must've knocked and the gained entry that way. There's no marks to suggest forced entry", Don explained.**

" **Damn. So, he's a smooth talker. Wouldn't I just love to get my hands on that little weasel", Violet replied.**

**Don looked at Violet but she had her eye on the rest of the apartment. It was a complete mess. Violet sighed and pulled out her cell phone. She had a call to make, one she never thought she'd ever have to make.**

"**Hello?", the voice answered.**

" **Hi, Mrs. Jennings. It's me, Violet", Violet answered.**

" **Oh, Violet, hi. Sorry about that, I'm a little frazzled right now. What did you need, dear?", the woman asked.**

" **Mrs. Jennings, Sarah, I have some baddish news", Violet said.**

**Don watched as Violet talked to the mother of Jasmine. She looked like this was one of the hardest things she'd ever done. He felt a twinge in his chest region, and he just kept watching as her shoulders slumped lower and lower.**

" **What kind of bad news, Violet?", Mrs. Jennings asked, her voice suddenly worried.**

" **I'm in danger, and so is Emma. Did Jasmine tell you I left last night?", Violet replied.**

" **Yeah, but she didn't tell me why. You're in danger? What about Jasmine? Is she alright?", Mrs. Jennings asked, panicked.**

" **I thought about it this morning, I came to check on her and get her somewhere safe, but he got to her first. She's not dead, she just knocked herself unconscious, she's on her way to the hospital, Mercy General, I believe. You can meet her there, I'll be there tonight to check on her. I'm really sorry about what happened", Violet explained. Her shoulders kept slumping to the point where she just sat down in the hall outside the Jennings' apartment.**

**Don watched her as she shut her phone and he felt like he should do something. It was obvious that the Jennings meant a lot to her. Jasmine herself was only sixteen, so Violet probably babysat her when she was younger. That meant five years of history between her and them, a lot of time for friendships to be made.**

**He walked over to her and knelt beside her. " Are you okay?", he asked.**

**She just nodded. " I'm so stupid. I should've thought about Jasmine at the same time. She's basically family to me, I babysat her when she was only eleven, up until she was thirteen, and then she started babysitting Emma. I just can't believe I didn't think that she would also be in danger. He knows where I live, where Emma goes to school, and where I work, why wouldn't he not know where Jasmine lives?", Violet replied.**

" **You couldn't have predicted that he would go after her. He only threatened you and Emma, remember? You never thought there was a reason for him to know about Jasmine", Don said, trying to be soothing.**

" **I know, but Jasmine is always there with Emma. She picks her up after school, sometimes she even drops her off when I don't have time in the morning. Jasmine is just as much a part of this family as Emma is. I don't know why I didn't think", Violet said, putting her head in her hands.**

" **Come on, Violet, don't punish yourself. She's not dead, which is a plus in my book. She'll have a hell of a headache when she awakens, but that's about it. We'll protect her. If she wants, she can stay with you and Emma at my place", Don replied.**

" **You don't have to do that, you know. I can find a place for her and her parents", Violet said, shocked by his generosity.**

" **I don't mind, honestly. It's nice to have people to fill that apartment. Plus, it would be better to keep her where we can reach her. She'll also have Emma there. I can find a place for her parents. There's a hotel about a block from my apartment", Don replied.**

**Violet nodded, not sure if she could trust herself to answer him. She had always thought him selfish and that because he had never been around for her in their five months of marriage. He was being so kind, maybe she had misjudged him all these years. **


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Books**

**Violet walked into the hospital that night hoping that Jasmine would be awake and would forgive her for being thoughtless. It wasn't like her, but Don was clouding her mind and judgement. She needed to get away from him.**

"**Hello?", Violet said to the nurse at the front desk.**

" **Yes, ma'am? What did you need?", the nurse asked.**

" **I'm looking for someone who came in this afternoon. Jasmine Jennings. J-E-N-N-I-N-G-S", she replied.**

" **Are you a family member?", the woman asked.**

" **Practically. She baby-sits my daughter. I used to baby-sit her. Look, it's part of my investigation. Could you tell me which room she's in?", Violet asked, impatiently.**

" **Yes. Jennings. She's in room 409, up on the third floor", the nurse answered.**

**Violet murmured her thanks and went in search of Jasmine. She found her in room 409, drinking what appeared to be orange juice.**

" **Hey there", Violet greeted.**

" **Violet! I'm so glad to see you, are you and Emma okay?", Jasmine asked, anxiously.**

" **Yes, why?", Violet asked. Pulling up the hospital chair and sitting down in it.**

" **That man who attacked me, he wanted to know where you were. I wouldn't tell him, so he tried to kill me. He said he would find and kill both of you. I still never told him where you were going", Jasmine answered.**

" **Are you okay? How are you feeling?", Violet asked. She couldn't reply to what Jasmine had said, she couldn't believe how strong Jasmine was. She felt really proud of the young girl.**

" **Yeah, other than a headache, I feel great. I was just worried about you and Emma", Jasmine answered.**

" **Well, we're both great", Violet replied.**

" **So where is she? And that delectable husband of yours?", Jasmine asked.**

" **He's at home, looking after the daughter that he doesn't know is his", Violet answered.**

" **Wow, that was fast", Jasmine replied.**

" **What was fast?", Violet asked.**

" **Well, you leaving him with Emma. I know she's your treasure, which means it would be hard to leave her with anyone that you don't know. And, since you haven't talked to Don in five years, he's really a stranger to her and you", Jasmine answered.**

" **But he's still her father, whether I like it or not. She should get to know him a little", Violet replied.**

" **She's gonna get attached to him, Violet. When you leave and never speak to him again, she'll miss him like crazy. Why do that to such a young girl?", Jasmine said.**

" **How would you know all of this?", Violet asked.**

" **Lately, she's been asking where her dad is. Obviously, she didn't ask you. She's looking for a father figure, and in this case, Don is her real father, which means she's gonna look up to him, even in the short time she's gonna know him for. It's gonna be hard to separate those two, you know", Jasmine said, matter-of-factly.**

" **And you didn't tell me this? Jasmine, I need to know this kind of stuff. I knew she was gonna ask about him, and I was planning on telling her something later, but she's only five years old!", Violet exclaimed.**

" **I know. I never told her anything. I know nothing about him, that's your job", Jasmine pointed out.**

" **Yeah, you're right. I'll explain this to her later. Hey, look, we're putting your parents into a hotel for a few days, just in case. And you, missy, am coming home with me, tonight. I've already signed the release papers. I don't want you staying where he could easily find you", Violet said.**

" **Yes!", Jasmine exclaimed, as she jumped out of the hospital bed. Violet just smiled.**

**Don watched Emma as she looked through a picture book. He felt more connected to her than ever because she was starting to trust him. She had even smiled at him earlier. His heart warmed at the thought.**

**She was a very smart girl. She knew how to wash herself, all he needed to do was put the water in the tub. She came out all clean and had jumped on him while he was sitting on the couch. It had been a surprise.**

" **Don, I want you to come see this picture", she called him.**

**He immediately went and sat down beside her. She shocked him yet again when she got up and moved to sit on his legs. She looked up uncertainly at him and he had nodded and smiled to encourage her. She immediately smiled and sat down on him. He felt humbled by her trust in him.**

" **Look at this. It's a tiger", she pointed out and then imitated the tiger "rawr", and he chuckled. She looked up at him proudly as she pointed out various other animals.**

**An hour later, Violet walked into Don's apartment to hear laughing. Her and Jasmine went into the living room of the apartment to find Emma sitting on Don's lap, imitating various animal sounds. He was laughing like crazy and Violet found herself watching in amazement at her daughter's antics.**

**Don turned briefly to find Violet watching them. She looked amused as her daughter continued to make elephant noises. Then her eyes turned to him and he could tell she was tired. He saw Jasmine appear beside her and say something to her. At that moment, Emma noticed them and ran over to Violet and Jasmine.**

" **Oh, hunny. Mom's tired. Did you have a bath?", Violet asked, as she noticed the pyjamas Emma was wearing.**

" **Yeah, Don made the bath, and I washed up. Can he read me a bedtime story tonight?", Emma asked, hopeful.**

**Violet looked at Jasmine and Jasmine just shot her a I-told-you-so look. She sighed and nodded her head.**

**Don's head shot up when Emma asked Violet that question. He also noticed the look Jasmine gave her. He didn't know what it meant, but it was probably from something they discussed at the hospital. He had no idea, but he would be honoured to read Emma a bedtime story.**

**Emma turned to Don and asked, " Would you read me a bedtime story?"**

" **I'd love to", Don answered.**

**They all went into her room and Violet tucked her in. **

" **You can go have a shower now, Violet. I'll get her to sleep", Don whispered to her. She nodded and headed off, taking Jasmine with her. " So, what shall I read?"**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: Barriers**

**Violet stood in the shower and thought about her life. Things were just not working out as she had planned. She had never planned on ever seeing Don again, especially not once she found out she was pregnant.**

**Now that she had found him again, by mistake, and with the threat of being killed, Emma met her father and was growing attached to him by the minute. Emma was generally a shy girl, but she seemed to have taken to Don like a fly to honey.**

**Emma had even asked him to read her a bedtime story, which was always either Jasmine's or her job. That more than anything scared her to death. Violet had had plans for her life, plans that hadn't included Don. But now that he and Emma were together, it would be impossible to separate them.**

**What also scared her was the fact that Don was smart, and Emma had his eyes. He was more than likely going to find some way to figure out that Emma was his daughter. Violet just hoped it would be after she left. And she shook her head when she felt sadness at the thought of leaving.**

**Don looked down at Emma. She was sleeping peacefully, so he got up and left. It had been a very strange few days, and was about to get stranger. He now had to live with Violet, her daughter Emma, and their neighbour Jasmine. He was surrounded by women.**

**What he found strange was how Jasmine didn't seem attracted to him. Usually all the teenage girls fell at his feet, but she just didn't care. She seemed indifferent to him, which really confused Don.**

**He didn't mind it at all, usually he had to pry them off of him, and he hated all the attention. What was worse was that it had happened a lot when he was still with Violet. She had laughed at first, but over time, she had gotten quite upset about it.**

**He heard the shower turn off and knew instantly that Violet would be stepping out of the shower. He could just picture her with water gleaming on her skin. He felt his body grow hot and heavy. He shook his head as he went to sit at the kitchen table.**

" **Oh. You're still up", Violet greeted, sounding surprised, and added, " Did she go to sleep?"**

" **Yeah, I am. She was very good. Your daughter has a hell of an imagination. Reminds of mine when I was a kid", Don replied.**

**Violet watched as his eyes narrowed in suspicion and she could just see his mind working to solve the puzzle. She felt the question coming before she said, " My gosh, I'm starving."**

" **I made soup if you want some", Don replied, getting out of his chair. **

**Violet moved inside the kitchen to the counter. " No it's okay, I'll get it", she said.**

**She could feel him staring at her back and it made her nervous. She had gotten him off the subject of Emma's father, but it wouldn't stall him for long. Don had an excellent memory, he wouldn't forget anything.**

" **So how hard was it to get them to release her?", Don asked. He had really wanted to ask if it was possible he was Emma's father, but her needs were greater than his were.**

" **Her?", Violet asked, sipping the soup.**

" **Jasmine. Was it hard?", Don reiterated.**

" **No, not really. They were going to release her anyways. She didn't have any damage, but they said to keep an eye on her. They rattled off a whole list of symptoms of concussions and whatnot, but I wasn't paying attention because I wanted her out of there as quickly as possible, so I picked up a sheet of symptoms on my way out", Violet explained.**

" **She can't go to sleep, right?", Don asked.**

" **Yeah, that's basically it", Violet answered.**

" **As long as she's alright. I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to her, I know how much she means to you", Don replied, quietly.**

**Violet dropped the noodles out of her spoon and she just stared at him. It wasn't something she expected from him. She had never thought he cared, but then again, the attraction when they met was pretty high.**

" **Thanks, I know this is probably gonna be hard for you to deal with a little girl, and than a teenage girl, and a grown woman, all at the same time. Teenagers have their fits and their mood swings. But Jasmine's pretty good about it", Violet said.**

" **Does she have a boyfriend?", Don asked, curiously.**

" **Not at the moment. She's only sixteen though, so don't get any ideas", Violet replied, seriously and angrily.**

**Don thought he detected a note of jealousy in her voice but he couldn't be sure. It made him feel happier and he had no idea why. **

" **Relax. I wasn't asking that for me, I was just wondering if she does, just because the mood swings usually have to do with relationships", Don answered, amused.**

" **Yeah, I know. Jasmine was in a semi-serious relationship with one guy. His name was Matt, he was her age. She dated him for about a year and a half. Then she caught him with some other girl. That was about the only real time she was upset. She's a very smart girl", Violet said, her pride in the young woman showing through.**

" **You're very proud of her", Don commented.**

" **Of course I am. Her average is in the nineties, she knows enough to stay away from you men. I think she has some trust issues though, especially after what Matt out her through. I'm not sure if she ever got over it, it seems like she has, but there are times when I honestly wonder", Violet murmured, more to herself than to anyone else.**

"**She is a very smart girl. I'd be very proud of her. What do her parents think? Are they hard on her?", Don asked. Violet had never been so open to him, it seemed as if a barrier had come down between them.**

" **They're not hard, per se. They're protective, like any parent should be. But they're realizing that she's a smart girl, she doesn't hang out with a bad crowd. Her parents also know that she's not their little girl anymore, and she needs to start finding her own way in the world", Violet answered.**

" **Do they know you're a detective?", Don asked.**

" **Of course they do. When I moved into that apartment five years ago, they were the first to greet me. Jasmine was about ten years old then. I babysat her until she was thirteen, and then she started to baby-sit for me", Violet explained.**

" **It's good that there's someone trustworthy to look after Emma when you're not there. I don't know Jasmine that well, but she seems like a good kid, I wouldn't be able to trust anyone else", Don said.**

**Violet was touched by Don's concern for Emma. She was really starting to wonder if not coming back to tell him she was pregnant was a good idea. She now hated the fact that he had missed the first five years of Emma's life, she really wished he could've seen her as a baby, he would've adored her.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: Date Night**

"**I still can't believe we got nothing out of that apartment!", Violet exclaimed.**

" **Whoa, tiger, sheath your claws", Danny commented, laughing.**

" **One wrong move mister, I'm warning you", Violet replied, amusement tingeing her voice.**

" **Oh, you wouldn't hurt me, would ya, Vi?", Danny asked, making his puppy dog eyes.**

" **Maybe, maybe not. You just never know", she replied, grinning as he backed away slightly.**

**Don hated watching these two go at it. They had been doing this for ten minutes now, ever since Danny told her they had gotten nothing from Jasmine's apartment. It wasn't that he hated seeing her happy, it was that Danny was flirting with her.**

**He couldn't stand to be outside the window anymore watching them, at least they had a room. He felt his hopes drop even more than they already were. The barrier he thought had come down the night before had gone right back up that morning.**

**He was about to move away when he spotted Stella moving towards him. **_**Great**_**, he thought, **_**Just what I need, a pep talk about my relationship**_**. **

" **Hey, Don", Stella greeted him, stopping and looking inside the room. She had seen Don looking miserable and she couldn't imagine why. But now that she seen Violet in there flirting with Danny, she knew why.**

" **Morning, Stell. I heard you guys got nothing from the apartment", Don replied, his attention going back to the pair in the room, who were laughing like crazy at the moment.**

" **Nope, not a thing", she said, then looking into the lab room, added, " It's good to see they're getting along nicely."**

" **Yeah, it's just wonderful", Don muttered under his breath.**

" **Relax, Don. Danny's still after Lindsay, you've got nothing to worry about", Stella replied, leaving him standing there wondering what the hell she meant by that.**

**Don felt confused along with angry and maybe even jealousy. They were not a good mix for him. He felt restless but didn't want to leave them alone in case Danny started making out with her. There was only so much Don could stand.**

**It wasn't too long after that that Danny came out of the room.**

" **Hey, what are you looking so glum for?", Danny asked, still grinning.**

" **Oh you know, just stuff", Don answered, absently, he was still watching Violet.**

" **Oh, alright, just thought I'd ask", Danny replied, then walked away.**

**He didn't even want Violet, well, he wanted her, just not the way Stella thought he wanted her. She had walked out on him, it wasn't his fault she left, but she did, and he would just have to face the consequences now.**

" **Hey, whatchu staring at?", Violet greeted him.**

" **Nothing. So they didn't find anything useful?", Don asked.**

" **Afraid not. They had a partial print, not enough to do a search with, unfortunately. He didn't leave DNA either, so we've got nothing. There's no footprints, cloth, nothing useable", Violet explained, shaking her head.**

**Don turned back to the window. " I don't understand this. How can one man not leave a single thing to identify him with?", Don asked.**

"**He could be obsessive compulsive, or a clean freak. It would explain why we can't find anything to help pin him", Violet said.**

" **Yeah, it's possible. I just don't get why he's suddenly so focussed on you and Emma. What do you guys have to do with him?", Don asked.**

" **I don't know. It's all ridiculous really. I didn't recognize his voice when he called me, but then again, I don't really pay attention to men", she replied, then the thought, **_**Except for you**_**, popped into her head.**

" **It would explain his behaviour. So we're looking for either an experienced killer, an obsessive compulsive, or a clean freak, or all of the above. That's wonderful", Don muttered.**

" **Well, it would be easier to explain if it was that. It would also make him easier to spot", Violet replied.**

" **Yeah it would. Oh well, unless we get some plausible evidence, all we have are theories", Don returned, turning to walk down the hall.**

**Violet turned around and started to follow him. " But they're very good theories!", she exclaimed.**

**Don muttered some thing sunder his breath, he had hoped that Violet would leave him alone for a few minutes to collect his thoughts. He felt confused, a little more than angry, and quite jealous.**

" **So what do you think of Danny?", Violet asked.**

**That question caught Don by surprise and he came to an abrupt halt, which made her slam right into his back.**

" **He's alright, why?", Don replied.**

" **Oh, no reason. Hey could you look after Emma for me tonight?", Violet asked.**

" **Sure", Don answered.**

" **You don't have to, you know, I could get Jasmine to just look after her", Violet said, particularly because Don didn't sound happy when he answered her.**

" **No, it's alright, I like looking after her. She's a great kid, and frankly, she's just so adorable", Don replied, sounding more cheerful.**

" **Okay, thanks. I owe you one", Violet answered, reaching up to kiss him on the cheek before walking off.**

**Don was left just staring after her. He would never get women. They could be quite confusing.**

**Violet hadn't gone out with a guy in a long time. She had never figured she would go out again, not since she had Emma and she was technically still married.**

**She took down her hair and applied some makeup. She hadn't worn makeup in so long, other than some cover-up every morning. She looked in the mirror after applying some eyeliner, black eye shadow, and mascara, and felt shocked at the woman staring back to her. She didn't even recognize herself. She grabbed her purse and after applying some lipstick, left the room feeling light and bouncy.**

**Don almost fell out of his chair when he seen Violet walk out of her room. He didn't recognize her at all. She looked sultry and seductive with her hair down and makeup on. The eye shadow really brought out the brown in her eyes. The ones he had been mesmerized by the first time he met her.**

"**Wow, where are you going?", Don asked.**

" **Out. I should be back by ten, or eleven", Violet answered.**

**Emma looked just as surprised by her mother as Don felt.**

" **Who are you?", Emma asked, in a slightly scared but surprised voice. She also had awe in there as well.**

" **It's me, pumpkin. I want you to be good for Don for me. I'm gonna be gone for a couple of hours, alright?", Violet replied.**

**The little girl just nodded her head and said, " You look pretty, Mom." Then she kissed Violet's cheek and went to sit on Don's lap.**

**The doorbell rang and Violet turned towards it. " Ah, he's here", she said.**

**Don got up to go get the door and when he opened the door, he had to lean against the door so he could stand up.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: The Dark**

**Violet couldn't believe how much fun she had had that night. It had been a long time since she had been out for dinner and drinks, not to mention when it didn't involve carrying Emma around with her.**

**Most of her life revolved around work and left very little time for a social life, never mind a love life. Moreover, the fact that she was technically a married woman rather prohibited it, or at least that's what she thought. **

**Violet believed in family values, once you got married, no fooling around outside of the marriage, and if you divorced, well then, you could have all the fun you wanted. It was the way her parents had brought her up, or rather, her mom did. Her father worked most of the time, so she didn't know, but her mom had definitely been unhappy.**

**Violet unlocked the door and tried to tip toe into the apartment without waking anyone. Fortunately for her, she could tell that Don had left a light on so she could see. That was the one screwed up thing about her night.**

**All the time with Danny and Violet thought she could escape Don for a couple of hours. Well, she had been horribly wrong. All she had thought about was Don; she hadn't even been able to focus on the conversation that night, having to be shaken lightly when her head was in the clouds.**

**It was a terrible fault for Violet. She had always been a dreamer, especially a daydreamer. She had gotten better at throughout the years, what with raising a child of her own, but she still went up into the clouds every now and then.**

**She walked into her room and went for a shower, and then she closed her eyes and tried to sleep.**

**A few days later, Violet sat at Don's desk contemplating the case. Another couple had been killed, but this time, the killer left some hair at the scene, probably not intentionally, but Lindsay was running the samples at the moment in hopes that they could find the identity.**

**Violet looked up to see Don walking toward her with two cups of coffee. "Tell me one of those is for me", Violet pleaded.**

"**It is. So what do we know? Did Lindsay get any DNA from the scene?", Don asked.**

" **I don't know. No one's come down, so I'm assuming they have no answers for us yet. Oh well, I'm a patient person, but I can only be that way for so long", Violet replied, taking a sip of her coffee.**

" **I know", Don muttered. **

**Violet was confused by some of the things that Don said these days. It seemed as though he was referring to their past more and more, but she had no idea. Her only problem was that Emma was growing more attached to Don every day, and even by accident called him " Daddy" the day before.**

" **Either way, I doubt he's in the system. What we need are solid fingerprints", Violet said.**

" **Well hold on and I'll go ask the guy for his", Don retorted.**

**Violet looked up at him sharply. He had also become more sarcastic since her outing with Danny. She could only take so much, there were days when she felt like packing up and chancing it at a hotel.**

" **What?", Don asked.**

" **Oh nothing, I'm going to find something to eat", Violet replied getting up. But she didn't leave.**

" **Ok, are you going to leave now, or later?", Don asked.**

" **I was just waiting for some witty, sarcastic remark that you so love giving me. So… go on", Violet said. **

**Don shrugged and sat back in his chair.**

" **Men. It's no wonder I packed up and left", Violet said as she turned on her heel and walked away.**

**Don watched as walked away from him. He could tell she was mad, and he couldn't blame her. He had kind of treated her like crap ever since she had gone out with Danny, but Danny wasn't getting any better treatment from him.**

**He knew it was cruel because it was only a one time thing, and because him and Violet were nothing except married on paper. Don had really no reason to treat either of them badly, but he felt betrayed somehow.**

**He knew now that Violet had no feelings for him at all. It had seemed obvious when she was around Danny, she was all full of smiles, while when she was around Don, it was almost nothing but glares or blank looks.**

**He did have a fondness for Emma though. She brought him smiles, even when he didn't want to. She had a vivid imagination, and used it well. She was also a smart girl, just like her mother.**

**Don mentally slapped himself. Every thought he had went straight back to Violet. It was very irritating. Don looked down at the desk. There was a note on it. He opened it, it was scribbled hastily by Violet. It read:**

**Don, **

**My break just started, so I'm going to head to Jasmine's apartment to grab her some more clothes. I shouldn't be more than half an hour. **

**See ya then, Violet**

**Don looked at his watch. Apparently, she was going to get Jasmine's clothes. He would see her in half an hour, the note said. He would apologize for his rude behaviour then. Until then, he decided he would look over the file and maybe go find some food.**

**Violet crept into Jasmine's apartment and looked around. It was quiet, and there was still objects strewn all over the floor. She moved to Jasmine's room and grabbed an overnight bag.**

**She walked over to the closet, grabbed some hoodies before walking to the drawers, and grabbed enough clothes and underwear to do for about a week or so. She stuffed them into the bag, but she was so busy she didn't notice the door opening behind her.**

**Then a hand came around her head and over her mouth. " You thought that you could get away from me, didn't you? Well, you were wrong, just like you were wrong about me and everything else", the man sneered.**

**Violet tried to struggle out of his grasp while trying to figure out who he was. He obviously knew her, but then again, she knew a lot of people. It wasn't long before she heard the crack of something and then a splitting pain filled her head. Her vision became full of stars and she thought of Don, and then it all went dark.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13: A Dizzy Spell**

**Don was just coming back from the lab two hours later when he realized that Violet hadn't come back. He tried to recall what her note said about time. It had said half an hour. She had left just after eleven that morning. It was after one o'clock now.**

**That wasn't even possible. He thought maybe she was caught up in traffic, but wouldn't she have called him? Probably not, Don supposed sadly, not after how he had treated her.**

**Don knew where she was, so he headed out the door to go to Jasmine's apartment. It was where she was last, that's where he'd start.**

**Don pulled out his gun and pushed open the door to Jasmine's apartment. He couldn't hear any movement coming from inside, so he crept in slowly. He hoped to God Violet was already on her way back to the precinct.**

**Don moved through the apartment quietly, but there was no sign of anybody. Finally, he came to Jasmine's room. The door was partially closed, and Don found he was scared of what he would find behind the door.**

**He opened the door and immediately ran around the bed to get to Violet, who was unconscious on the floor. He checked her head for wounds, found nothing, and picked her up to get her to the hospital. **

**Violet slowly opened her eyes and groaned as light poured through them and created this horrible pounding in her head. It was like little hammers were tripping through her brain and she didn't appreciate that.**

**She looked around, confused at how she got to were she was. Which, if the beeping of machines and the plain white walls were anything to go by, was obviously a hospital. She hated hospitals.**

**There was no one nearby and her throat was terribly dry. She felt around and found the nurse button. She pressed it and waited, hoping someone was at the nursing station and would see it.**

**Fortunately for her, there was one and she walked in and checked Violet's vitals. **

"**So glad you're awake. Is there something you want, dear?", the nurse asked.**

" **A glass of water, please", Violet replied, her voice hoarse.**

**The nurse filled a cup and stuck a straw in it before handing it to Violet. She was glad just to get something in her stomach.**

" **How long have I been out?", Violet asked, rubbing her head for wounds.**

" **About three hours", Don answered from the doorway.**

**Violet looked past the startled nurse to the doorway, where Don was leaning against the doorframe.**

" **It's good to see you've come back to us", He said, as he walked farther into the room.**

" **Yeah, it's good to be back. Did you catch him?", Violet asked.**

" **Who?", Don asked.**

" **I don't know. He found me, Don. He was waiting there for me. I don't know why he's so focussed on me", Violet answered.**

" **You didn't see him?", Don asked, hopeful of the opposite.**

**Violet shook her head regretfully. " I'm sorry, Don. He snuck up behind me", she replied, disappointed with herself.**

**Don put his hand over hers. " It's okay, Violet. We'll get him…some way", Don said.**

" **I take it you got nothing from the latest murders?", Violet asked.**

" **Not even a fingernail. He's smart, or he's done it before. But I promise that we will get him, and I'd kill him for what he's put you through", Don answered, squeezing her hand in reassurance.**

**It did reassure her, a little at least. She looked up and found herself falling into the blue depths of his eyes. They were like oceans calling to her, and they did. **

**They kept getting closer to her until she felt his lips meet hers and she realized that not only had she leaned forward, but he had too. By then it was too late and they gave into the attraction they had been feeling since first meeting again.**

**Once they broke the kiss, they just stared at each other, amazed at what they had just experienced. It was Don who broke the stare first.**

" **I just got the papers for your release signed", Don said into the silence.**

" **How did you do that?", Violet asked.**

" **Well, we are still married, Violet", Don replied, grinning as he lifted his left hand and revealed his wedding band.**

" **You still wear it?", Violet asked.**

" **Never taken it off. I see you haven't either", Don noted, staring at her left hand.**

" **Yes, well I…it got stuck…on my fing…I just never took it off", Violet replied.**

" **Hmm", was all Don replied with.**

" **It's not…as if I didn't want to take it off, I just never thought about it, that's all", Violet said, feeling as if she had to defend herself and then wondering why she should defend herself, she'd done nothing wrong, except not leaving it when she left, which, she was actually glad not to have done.**

" **It's okay. I never took it off so women would stop chasing me", Don replied.**

**Violet felt a stab of disappointment that that was the only reason he didn't take it off. She mentally shook herself and wondered exactly why she felt the way she did. Everything about him appealed to her, it always had, but now there was something else interfering with her physical attraction to the man.**

**Violet wanted to examine it further, but that could wait until after the case. Right now, she had to worry about how she was going to go about figuring out who wanted to kill her and why.**

" **Can we just get out of here? I hate hospitals", Violet said, surprising even herself with the anger and coldness that laced her voice.**

**Don felt as if he should ask her what was wrong, but she didn't give him the chance. She got up and headed for the bathroom in her room, and she didn't come out until was dressed in decent clothing and simply walked out of the room, ignoring him completely.**

" **Hey, Violet, wait up!", Don called as got up and raced out the door after her. But she didn't wait, leaving him having to speed walk down the halls in order to catch up with her just as got out the door of the hospital.**

**She never said a word until they got home, finding themselves completely alone.**

" **Where's Jasmine and Emma?", Violet asked, concerned. It was the first thing she'd said to him, and she found she felt a bit dizzy.**

" **I sent them to her parents at the hotel until we got back, I didn't want to leave them alone, in case he found out where you guys are", Don replied, then turned and paled as he saw Violet sway. " Are you alright?"**

**He ran to catch her just as she started to fall. " Violet! Are you okay?", Don asked.**

" **Yes. Just a little dizzy spell", she replied, a little breathless, and then smiled up at him weakly before adding, " You caught me." Her voice held amazement as she stared up at him in wonderment.**

**Don bent down to kiss her because he couldn't resist that look of pure amazement on her face. He didn't want that smile on her mouth to leave, especially because it was for him. For **_**him**_**!**

**She kissed him back just as ravenously and he picked her up to carry her to his bedroom, and then he shut the door behind him.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14: Match Made in Heaven**

"**I'm not saying that I want it to work, I just…I don't quite know what to think", Violet admitted in defeat. "What do I do?"**

"**Well, he's your husband, Violet. I can't help you with that", Jasmine replied. She had been listening to Violet go off about her and Don and what had happened just two nights ago.**

"**But I need to know what to do now. I've been steadily avoiding being alone with him because I don't know what to say, or how to act. What does it mean? Men. They just make things more complicated for the rest of us who actually have emotions", Violet said, sounding rather annoyed.**

" **You're asking a sixteen-year-old who's only ever had one relationship in her life so far. You should have done some dating while you weren't with him to figure out what it means", Jasmine replied. She chewed thoughtfully on her cereal, contemplating her friend's relationship.**

" **Well, for men, sex can mean many things. I mean, it was great sex, but that doesn't mean he wants anything to do with me or Emma", Violet said, unhappily.**

" **He absolutely adores Emma. How can someone not be? She's also very entertaining, Don was captivated since the night you left him to baby-sit. Not to mention how much she was delighted with him", Jasmine replied.**

" **I know she loves him, she's as much said so to me herself. That's what scares me, if he doesn't accept me, and finds out that she's his daughter, he can take her away from me. Simply because I never told him that I was pregnant", Violet said, sounding weary and more unhappy than before.**

" **So, you're scared of losing Emma, but you're also afraid to lose Don. But you aren't sure if you actually want Don in your life and become a family again. Is that right?", Jasmine asked.**

**Violet just nodded.**

" **Okay, well before you can say anything else, you need to figure out what you want. It's the only way", Jasmine replied, her mouth a tight line.**

" **I know that. It's just, how do I tell? So, Don and me had sex, but it doesn't mean he wants me at all. Maybe he just hasn't done it in awhile and since I was there, well you know the rest", Violet said.**

" **Yes, I know. I was quite surprised to see you come out of his room the next morning with your hair all dishevelled and missing half your clothes", Jasmine replied, wryly.**

**Violet blushed furiously at that. After she woke up that morning, it took only seconds to remember what had happened the night before, and she felt satisfied enough to stretch like a cat. She felt so refreshed and happier than she had in years.**

**Of course, she had searched his room for her clothes, which were strewn all over the place. Once she found enough of them, she crept out of his room and had been caught apparently by Jasmine as she snuck to hers.**

" **Yes, well…there was no brush in his room and finding my clothes was quite difficult", Violet said.**

" **You don't have to explain yourself to me. You also looked happy and relaxed. I felt quite happy for you, so just let it go. Don also looked quite happy and satisfied when he came out of his room that morning", Jasmine winked.**

" **I would like to hope so. But extremely satisfied doesn't answer my question. I want to know if he wants more with me", Violet said, blushing furiously. **

**Jasmine didn't say anything for awhile because she didn't know how to answer her. There were a lot of things she wanted to answer, but she couldn't tell her because she had no idea herself.**

" **I fear I may be falling in love with him", Violet blurted.**

" **I wouldn't know, I haven't experienced real love yet. I can't tell you it's real, but from what I've seen in the past few days, I'd say your fear is too little too late", Jasmine replied, walking out of the room.**

**That left Violet to ponder what was going on. She had vowed to wait until after the case was done to figure out her feelings, but it appeared her little night with Don may have had to make her speed up the process. She would've preferred it hadn't happened, but she seemed to have a lot of sexual tension around Don, and it had finally come out.**

**Things with them just seemed to be getting more complicated with each passing moment. She couldn't sleep properly, she fumbled around, and she couldn't seem to stop the jealousy from flooding her when Don was flirting with other women. It was all extremely disturbing.**

**She shook away her feelings for Don to try to figure out the case. Some things just didn't add up. None of the couples had anything to do with each other. They never had anything to do with any of the other victims. **

**Violet found herself going through her memories to try and sort out the details. The only thing they all had in common was that the couples each met at a place called **_**Match Made in Heaven**_**. She recalled that place, it was a few blocks from where she worked. **

**Violet found herself piecing the puzzle together in her mind, and she had an idea of just where the guy might have been and why he might be going after her. She had a feeling that this guy was a guy she had met at that dating establishment while she was working on a case a couple of months ago.**

**The guy had never been someone she liked, he had always creeped her out, but she had never liked him at all. She couldn't recall his name at the moment, which made her frown, she was usually good with names and faces. Then, thinking it must just be her personal problems interfering, she left it alone.**

**When she went to work in an hour, she would pay a visit the establishment, with or without Don and figure out who the guy was, so she could finally go back home, which didn't have as much of an appeal to her as it used to.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15: Celibacy and Flirting**

"**Come again?", Don asked.**

" **We need to go to Match Made in Heaven. Now. Are you coming with me or am I going solo?", Violet replied in exasperation. She had been trying to explain to Don about what she had figured out so far, but he kept interrupting her.**

" **Yes, of course I'm coming with you. Now what is this place you're talking about?", Don asked as she started down the hall. **

" **It's a dating place. I had to take a look inside and go undercover about two months ago. It's one of the best dating establishments in the city. Look, you're given a key, that key fits with one other person, who has a lock. The guys get the keys, girls get the locks. I had to participate in that to get a killer before", she answered when he raised an eyebrow.**

" **Ah. Okay, so did you catch the guy?", Don asked, as they got into his cruiser.**

" **Yes. It took some hard work, though. I was kinda hoping I'd be lucky enough to have him be the guy who opened my lock, but unfortunately, it involved me catching the guy almost killing one girl to figure out who it was", Violet answered.**

" **So, you went undercover for that?", Don asked.**

" **Yes. It couldn't be any of the guys I work with. The killer was after women", Violet replied.**

" **Right. And it bothers you now to think another killer from that place. Obviously the reputation as a matchmaking business is wrong. It should be a killer business", Don said with amusement.**

**Violet actually grinned at that. " You have a point there, Detective. This makes two killers from that place. Maybe I should try to get them to shut down", Violet replied, grimly.**

" **Did you ever go there before? Well, before that case, I mean. When you weren't working, for fun", Don said.**

" **You mean to look for a date?", Violet supplied.**

**Don nodded.**

" **Nope. I always had my hands full with work and Emma to even think about that. Besides, Don even though we weren't living together, we were still married. Not that it stops you men from sleeping around even if they do live with their wives. I'm more traditional than that. I got married, you didn't file for divorce, so I never thought about dating ever again", Violet replied, matter-of-factly.**

" **You were content to stay celibate all your life?", Don asked, shocked.**

" **I didn't say celibate. I just meant dating. I didn't want a guy to fall for me and I couldn't love him back. Until you chose otherwise, I was staying married. But, no, I never slept with anyone, I never intended to. Not that it's any of your business", Violet replied.**

" **So, I'm the only man you've ever slept with?", Don asked, quietly.**

**Violet blushed. That would boost his ego for sure, which was not what she needed, but it was nonetheless true. She had gone to him a virgin, and she hadn't slept with man since she left, well at least until a couple of days ago, but it was him anyways, so that didn't really matter.**

" **Yeah, you are", Violet admitted, then winced inwardly at the fact that now he knew that he was her only man, she was just waiting until he figured out that because of that, Emma was his.**

**Don stared at the cars in front of him and thought, **_**why would I have been her only man? That doesn't make any sense**_**.**

" **Just because you're a mother didn't mean you had to quit dating just to raise Emma. I mean, Jasmine was there almost every night, why didn't you ask her to take care of Emma for a couple of hours like you did to me?", Don asked.**

" **Because I was still married. Do you think I liked staying at home to raise her? I love Emma, she's one of the most precious things in my life, but I knew what I was giving up when I left you, and when I had her. I was on maternity leave for a year and four months before I came back. By then, I didn't want to date anymore. I made my choice the day I said, "I do", and I stand by it", Violet answered.**

" **Is this the place?", Don asked fifteen minutes and three traffic jams later.**

" **Yeah. It is. Hasn't changed much since I was last here. They really should change their sign to " Match Made in Hell". It would sound a lot nicer", Violet commented, getting out of the car.**

**They walked side-by-side to the door and Don had the strangest urge to take her handhold it. He knew that Violet wouldn't much care for it, but he almost reached for her hand just to see her reaction.**

" **Lucy Stevens?", Violet asked. The woman behind the desk looked up at her and then over to Don, giving him an appreciative look. Violet could feel the rage and jealousy flare inside of her and she tried very hard to simmer it down.**

" **May I help you?", a woman behind the desk asked.**

**Violet pulled out her badge and showed it to the woman. " Yeah. Detective Violet Flack, NYPD. This is Detective Don Flack. We need to ask you a few questions, if you wouldn't mind", Violet announced.**

**The woman looked at Don and sent him a flirtatious smile. " Could I perhaps talk to you, Detective? Alone, in the back room?", she asked, still smiling at him.**

**Violet rolled her eyes. " Look, it's both or just me. Those are the choices. Which one will you choose?", Violet snapped back at her, then realized that there had been jealousy in her voice. She hoped Don hadn't caught it.**

**Don stared at Violet for a minute after the woman asked to speak to him alone. She stiffened slightly and glared at the woman, going from patient and friendly to impatient and, dare he say, jealous. Even the tone of her voice suggested she was pissed and jealous. He didn't know why, he hadn't even been paying much attention to the woman.**

" **Fine. Both of you, I guess. Come on, there's a room we can talk in without being disturbed", the woman grumbled in response.**

**Don followed Violet as she followed the woman into the other room. He still couldn't figure out why she'd be angry at that suggestion or even jealous for that matter. She should know by now that she was the only woman he ever paid attention to, besides his mother, who happened to love Violet and was mad at Don when she found out that Violet had left him. He was sure she still hadn't forgiven him for it.**

" **So, what can I do for you, Detectives?", she asked, still sending a flirty smile towards Don.**

" **We're looking for a killer responsible for the murders of some of your clients here. We think he may have been a member here", Violet answered.**

**Violet took out the folder and handed Lucy the names of the victims that had been killed so far.**

" **Oh no. Not another killer here", Lucy murmured.**

" **These victims were all apart of this matchmaking establishment. I believe they may have met through the lock and key part of the program", Violet announced.**

" **This is impossible. And you think that he may have also been a member here?", Lucy asked.**

" **I do believe so. These couples were all matched here and seemed to have been together awhile. I believe he is killing them because he may have been rejected by one of the women. I believe he may have been rejected many times by the women in his life. Does it sound like anybody here at all?", Violet explained.**

" **You look familiar. Violet Flack, right? I remember you, you had to solve another murder case involving a guy from here. It seems like we attract all the crazy guys. Did you ever find a guy from here?", Lucy asked.**

" **No, I didn't. Now, does he sound at all familiar?", Violet replied.**

" **I'd have to pull files, but there are quite a few guys who frequently complain about being rejected and ask for their money back. We always insist on them trying again because it might just be the woman and whatnot", Lucy said.**

" **Well, could you pull the files? We need them for our investigation", Don replied, saying the first thing he had since he had gotten there. It was amazing to watch his wife in action. She used to be such a soft woman, apparently five years and one child later did some things to soft women.**

**Violet had never been a hard-ass, she had never been the tough one. She was someone who cared for small animals and children, but it seemed as though she had completely changed. She had been fiery before, but now she was on fire, and he had never loved her more. Wait…**_**loved**_**? He couldn't possibly, not at all.**

" **I'm sorry, client confidentiality, you know", Lucy answered, her somewhat seductive gaze turned to him. **

" **We need those files, Lucy. Unless you want to go from a hopping matchmaking place to an empty place because all your clients have been killed by this sicko", Don said, almost menacingly.**

" **I'll have them right away, I promise", Lucy replied, rushing off.**

" **Wow, Don. I thought she'd never leave", Violet said.**

" **Me either. Did you see those looks she was giving me? My gosh, that woman needs to be taught how to flirt, she was doing a horrible job", Don replied.**

" **You didn't mind her flirting?", Violet asked.**

" **Could've been better. I should teach her a lesson or two, her seduction wasn't quite working. Maybe I'll take up her offer for the back room", Don answered, getting up and leaving.**

**Violet just sat there, not knowing what to do. She felt torn up at what he had just said. Now she knew that it was a one night stand she and him had had. She felt heartbroken, and knew that once she was alone in a bathroom, she could do what she hadn't done in a long time, and that was cry her eyes out.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16: The Talk**

"**Another dead end", Violet said, letting her head drop into her hands.**

"**Are you okay, Violet?", Danny asked.**

" **Yeah…no…I don't know. Definitely not", Violet answered, finally feeling the tiredness crowding in on her.**

" **What's going on?", Danny asked.**

" **Everything. The place where all these people were from was a place I've searched for a killer myself only a couple of months ago. Me and Don went back there today and the woman, she made a very not so subtle suggestion to Don about talking to him alone…in the back room", Violet explained.**

" **Okay, so let me get this straight. Are you upset about having to go back there or the woman making the suggestion to Don?", Danny replied.**

" **I guess it's more of the second one, I guess. Look, I enjoyed myself with you the other night, but I fear my heart belongs to someone else", Violet said, trying to sound apologetic and not weary and exhausted.**

" **Violet, it's alright. My heart belongs to someone else as well. Don't lose him, Violet. Don's a good man, and whatever he may have been five years ago, I believe he has changed since then. And with your little girl running around, it's obvious he cares for her quite a bit. This is gonna sound very strange, but she has Don's eyes", Danny commented.**

**Violet looked down at her hands. " That's because she is his daughter", Violet replied, then seeing Danny's expression, explained, " We had only been married for five months when I left him, and I was about two months along already. I didn't find out until two weeks after I left. By that time, I figured he was already going to head for a divorce, so I stayed quiet until the papers were served. They never came. I don't know how Emma happened, she's quite a miracle, but I'm glad she did."**

"**So she is his? That was my first thought that night I picked you up, but I was sure it couldn't be possible because Don never mentioned a daughter, or a child of any sort", Danny replied.**

"**That's because I didn't tell him I was pregnant", Violet said, quietly.**

"**Why didn't you phone him to tell him? He would've helped you out", Danny replied.**

"**I was scared, young and naïve. Don't forget I was only twenty-two when we married and only barely twenty-three when I had Emma. I didn't really know what I was doing", Violet answered.**

"**Wow, you were a young mom for this day and age", Danny commented.**

"**Thanks. You know the best part? When I got together with Don, my parents absolutely hated him. When I left him, I asked for some starting money, and they were happy to oblige. But when I told them I was pregnant not two weeks after I left, they disowned me", Violet replied, with a dry laugh.**

"**They had no right to do that. Don's a great guy, sometimes he makes the wrong judgement call, but that's all. Have you spoken to them since?", Danny asked.**

" **Nope. They didn't care enough to keep me when I was pregnant and scared, so why should I even try to contact them now?", Violet asked.**

" **Well, because they're your family. They may have done some stupid things but you don't know…maybe they regret it now", Danny supplied.**

" **So if that's the case, why haven't they tried to contact me, Danny? It's been five years…horrible and excruciating years without a family to support me through raising a child on my own. They obviously don't care enough to want to see their granddaughter. I gave them plenty of time to come around, they told me they didn't want to see me again. So, I gave up, left them to the miserable ness of their lives", Violet replied. " I have enough problems of my own to deal with."**

" **I know", Danny said, getting up to leave. Then he turned around and added, " By the way, you should really tell Don how you feel, you never know how it might turn out." Then he left.**

**Violet wondered if maybe she should tell Don how she felt, but then she remembered what happened at the dating place and what he said about Lucy, and thought the better of it.**

**She realized that things weren't exactly going how she hoped they might, but then again, she had left Don five years ago, and he probably had some mistress or possibly even more than one around the city somewhere.**

**Violet felt her hopes deflate more and more she thought about it. Why would he want her after all these years? Why would he even try after she left him? There were too many questions and not enough answers. **

**She turned her attention back to the files that Lucy had given her at the dating place. There were quite a few men with complaints on their file. There were three, however, that had more than just one or two. She would have to find Don and go to interview these guys. Problem was, she didn't quite know where to find him.**

" **Detective Bonasera?", Violet exclaimed.**

**Stella turned towards Violet and said, " Please call me Stella."**

" **Stella, have you seen Don?", Violet asked.**

" **Nope, sorry. If I see him did you want me to tell him something?", Stella replied, noting the anxious look on Violet's face.**

" **Just that I'm looking for him. Thanks", she replied, turning around and running straight into somebody.**

" **Whoa, where's the fire?", Don asked.**

**Violet looked up from her hands on his chest to his face. " There you are", Violet replied, smiling.**

" **Oh yeah, by the way, Don, Violet's looking for you", Stella announced, laughing.**

" **Thanks", Violet replied, putting her forehead on his chest in embarrassment.**

**Don's breath had hitched when she offered him that wonderful smile of hers. Now that she had let her head fall against his chest, he almost felt like fainting and then he realized he had stopped breathing.**

**Stella gave them a look before she walked away and Don wondered what that woman must be thinking. She was like a mother hen at times, helping the men avoid tragic ruin all the time and helping them when they were lost. But, he wanted to know exactly what she was up to this time.**

" **I was just looking for you", Violet said into his chest.**

**He heard Violet say something but it was muffled by his shirt.**

**She looked up at him when he didn't respond and she said, " I was just looking for you."**

" **What for?", Don asked.**

" **Me and Danny were looking through the files of men from Match Made in Heaven, and I noticed a few men with more than a few complaints on his file. I was coming to see if I could find you so we could go talk to them", Violet explained.**

" **Yeah sure", Don said as he turned her to walk towards the elevators.**

" **Wait, guys!!", Stella exclaimed.**

**They both turned at the same time. " Yes?", they responded in unison.**

" **I forgot to tell you, we found some DNA from the last crime scene. It's male, but no match in the system", Stella reported.**

" **That's good, could be our killer's. We'll get back to you on that one Stella", Violet replied.**

**Stella nodded and walked away. Don had the elevator ready and they both walked in together. They had a few men to talk to, and hopefully cooperative ones so they could get DNA from them. **


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17: Suspects**

**They arrived at the first possible suspect's house. Or rather apartment from where Violet and Don stood. It didn't seem too bad. Obviously in need of some renovation though.**

**They knocked on the door and a man opened it. " Yes?", he said.**

" **Thomas Ramsey?", Violet announced.**

" **Yeah, who's asking?", he asked.**

**Both detectives brought out their badges and showed them to him. " NYPD. May we come in?", Don asked.**

**The man nodded and stepped aside. Both detectives walked inside and looked around. It was in definite need of some cleaning up and organizing.**

" **What is this about, Detectives?", Thomas asked.**

" **We just need to ask you a few questions, if you don't mind", Violet answered.**

" **Sure. Go ahead", Thomas offered.**

" **You're a member of Match Made in Heaven, right?", Don asked.**

**Thomas nodded. **

" **Do you know any of these people?", Don asked, handing over the list of the victims.**

**Thomas looked over them before replying, " Sorry, I don't recognize any of these people. Are they in trouble or something?"**

" **No, they're dead", Violet said.**

" **Dead? What on earth are you doing here? Oh, you think I had something to do with it, don't you? Well, I can tell you I didn't", Thomas replied.**

" **That'll be for us to decide", Don replied.**

" **I can't believe you think I had anything to do with it", Thomas said.**

" **Yes, well, you have a lot of complaints on file about the dates you had with women. That they rejected you, well, now that I've seen the place, I can understand why", Violet commented.**

" **Yes, but I had nothing to do with the deaths of these people! I don't even know them", Thomas pleaded.**

" **Would you be willing to give us some of your DNA to prove it?", Violet asked.**

" **Maybe", Thomas answered.**

" **Well, could you hurry up and make up your mind before we die of old age?", Violet asked, impatient.**

" **Yeah, sure. You can have it", Thomas replied, and then opened his mouth. Violet took out a Q-Tip for collecting DNA that she had picked up in the lab earlier and swabbed his mouth.**

" **Thanks for your cooperation. If you think of anything, don't hesitate to call", Don said, handing him his card, and then added as they were about to leave, " Oh and please don't leave town." And then they left.**

**As they arrived at the next apartment a good twenty or so minutes later, Violet was thinking how good it would be that one of the four guys they were going to talk to was the killer. It would be so easy just to get the guy and throw him in jail and then walk away.**

_**Or so you think**_**, a voice in her head whispered. She desperately wanted to tell that voice to shut up, but then she figured that it just might be true.**

**Once again, they knocked on the door of the apartment. A short man answered the door. " Yes?", he said.**

" **Martin Rivers?", Don asked,**

" **Yes. Who wants to know?", he asked in a nasally tone.**

**They both pulled out their badges again and showed them to him. " NYPD, Rivers. We need to ask you a few questions, may we come in?", Violet replied.**

**He nodded reluctantly and stepped aside for them to enter. He was wearing pyjamas so they assumed he wasn't going to work or even out today. Obviously a slob as well, if the disarray in his apartment was anything to go by.**

" **You're a member of Match Made in Heaven, right?", Violet asked. When he nodded she handed the folder to him and asked, " Do you know any of these people?"**

**He took a quick skim of the names and then replied, " Yeah, I know all of them. They were usually all there the nights I went in. I've been a member there for awhile, why did you need to know?"**

" **They've all been murdered, Rivers", Violet answered, watching his reaction. He had none, not even the blink of an eye.**

" **Oh, sorry to hear that", he muttered.**

" **Yeah, where are you during the day usually?", Violet asked.**

" **You think I did this? What reason would I have for murdering a bunch of people I don't even really know? That's just a waste of my time", he answered.**

" **Yeah well still…we need to ask these questions, Mr. Rivers. It's part of our job. Now, would you mind giving us your DNA? Just to rule you out as a suspect", Violet asked, taking out the Q-Tip.**

**He nodded and opened his mouth. She swabbed him and then they left, reminding him not to leave town.**

**After visiting the next two suspects on their list, and getting all their DNA, they finally headed back to the lab.**

**Violet handed Adam the swabs with the names printed on the box containing the swabs and then left. She met up with Don at the elevators and they headed over to the precinct.**

" **You know, I'm liking that Rivers guy more and more for this", Don said.**

" **Why?", Violet asked. She too, had a feeling it was him, just by the way he had acted when they showed up at his doorstep.**

" **Well, just the way he acted when we told him they were all dead. He didn't seem surprised, or scared, or even somewhat sad. There were only two people that knew all of them, or at least most of them. Rivers also didn't answer us when we asked where he usually is during the day", Don replied, matter-of-factly.**

" **That's true. He didn't exactly give me a good feeling. The other guys didn't feel creepy to me, but he did", Violet said.**

" **Did you also notice the way he was staring at you? The man looked like he was trying to stop himself from doing something. Grabbing you and kissing you would be my guess, but then again, I'm prejudiced. That was all I was thinking about most of the time", Don admitted.**

**Violet was shocked. Don had never told her something like that before. Not once in all the time they were together five years ago, or in the time since they had found each other again.**

" **Umm…well, I don't quite think he was thinking that. Probably irritation at the questions and how much of "his" time we were taking up", Violet replied, too shocked to say anything else.**

" **Well…do you want to know what I'm thinking right now?", Don asked.**

" **Sure", Violet replied, looking at him uncertainly.**

" **I'm thinking about how much I want to kiss you right now", he murmured.**

**Violet stared at him before quietly saying, " I'm thinking I want you to kiss me."**

**Don turned to her then and leaned close. Just as his lips hovered above hers, he said, " Are you sure?"**

**She nodded and pulled him so his lips came down on hers and he was kissing her. What delighted Don the most was that Violet was kissing him back.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18: The Accident**

**Violet woke up to a hand on her shoulder shaking her awake. **

" **Violet. Get up", Don said.**

**She sat up and looked around, then frowned as the paper that was stuck to her face fell off. She looked around to the clock on her computer and found that was after eight that night, she had been sleeping for at least an hour.**

" **What is it, Don?", she asked.**

" **Time to go home. You're exhausted. I've been trying to wake you up for ten minutes now", Don replied, grinning.**

" **I was tired", Violet said, dumbly.**

" **I noticed. Come on, let's go home", he replied, grabbing her purse and coat for her.**

**She settled into the passenger seat of his car and found herself sliding back into the clutches of sleep. She was awoke by the lights along the road.**

" **You didn't seem very tired earlier", Don commented, recalling the kiss they shared on the way to the lab.**

**Violet blushed before murmuring, " You're very good at distracting me. But, I really did feel fine earlier."**

**Don felt his eyes start to drift closed and he recalled that he felt a little woozy now. He hadn't felt like this an hour or so ago. Not until he had had that coffee one of the officers had given him.**

**His eyes closed and he heard the blaring of the horns from other cars as he swerved into the other lane. Then he felt the collision from all sides as the car flipped over. And then Don lost consciousness.**

**Don heard the beeping of a machine and wished it would stop. He cracked his eyes open and looked around the room. It was a hospital room. And the beeping would be coming from the heart rate machine.**

" **Finally, you're awake", Stella said from his left side.**

**He peered over at her and then blinked a couple of times. Where was Violet? Was she okay? He hoped she wasn't seriously injured in the accident.**

" **It's okay, Don. You're fine", Stella assured him, making him realize the beeping had sped up.**

**He let himself relax some and the beeping slowed down to a normal rate. " Where's Violet? Is she okay?", he asked.**

" **She wasn't with you when you were pulled out of the car, Don", Stella replied.**

" **Yes, she was. We were heading home when I started falling asleep. I thought coffee was supposed to keep you awake", Don muttered.**

" **The nurses took some blood from you, enough that we should be able to test and see if there were any drugs in it", Stella suggested.**

**Don nodded. " Do it. That officer must have put something in my coffee. He kinda looked familiar, but not like an officer I've seen around the precinct before", he said.**

**Stella nodded and left his room in search of the nurse, would be his best guess. He laid there and tried to figure out where Violet had gone. Surely she had to be at another hospital somewhere in the city after getting away. Or else she would be there right along with him.**

**Adam ran the blood Stella had given him and was hoping the answer might help solve their case. For some reason, the killer was trying very hard to get rid of Violet. Nobody knew why, not even Violet.**

**Violet was a nice woman, Adam figured, he hadn't really talked to her all that much. But he couldn't figure out why someone would want to kill her. They were going through all this trouble, even risking Flack's death to get rid of her. **

**It was related to Violet somehow. Being a detective, their were lots of criminals who would possibly be out to get her. If they had been released from prison yet. But this was no ordinary criminal. This was someone who had killed a bunch of people for a very ridiculous reason, if there was one.**

" **Hey, Adam, tell me you got something for me. Anything at all", Stella said as she walked into the room.**

**He looked to see the toxicology come up from Don's blood and it appeared that there was a substance in his bloodstream. **

" **You're in luck this time, Stella. It just so happens that there is a sleeping agent in Flack's bloodstream that caused him to fall asleep at the wheel. It must've been in powdered form or else the liquid would've left the bloodstream pretty fast", Adam replied.**

" **Thank you, Adam. I could kiss you right now", Stella exclaimed, then headed off to talk to Mac. They now had something of a start.**

**Violet awoke to find herself tied to a chair by some pretty strong rope. She tried twisting her wrists in an effort to get the binds to loosen, but only managed to rub her wrists raw.**

**She looked around to find a pretty empty basement. Which was a great start, especially considering that there were no windows to be able to tell her where she was.**

" **Good, you're awake. That pill must work better on people who don't use it often", a voice said.**

**She turned to try and see who it was but all she got was darkness. " Who are you and what do you want?", she asked.**

" **What do I want? Well, at first, I wanted you, but now I just want you gone", he said.**

" **So why take me then? Why not just leave me alone?", she asked.**

" **Because I don't just want you gone as in out of my life…I want you gone as in dead, so you can't fool around with another man's heart. Like that detective guy you're staying with", he replied.**

**Violet froze at that comment. So he knew where she was. Yet Emma nor Jasmine appeared to be where she was, unless they were somewhere else in the house.**

" **I didn't fool around with your heart. I don't even know you", Violet replied.**

**Then he stepped out of the shadow and she realized that she did know him, and had known him for quite awhile. She had met him at Match Made in Heaven, during the lock-and-key nights.**

" **Well, though you may not remember me as well as I remember you, it doesn't excuse you for what you did. You're rejecting me led me to kill all those couples we knew from the lock-and-key nights. In turn, you are the reason they are all dead", he said, then added with an evil smile, " You should be very proud of yourself."**


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19: A Match**

**Don stared blankly at the wall across from his hospital bed and sighed. He hated having to be cooped up here. He'd rather be out helping with the search for Violet, who couldn't be reached at all.**

**He knew that the killer had her and she played a big part in the case, because it seemed that the guy was going after her for something. Don just had no idea what. He had some of the pieces, he just needed to put them all together.**

**Stella walked into his room and announced, " Somebody put sleeping pills in your coffee."**

**Don nodded. He had already figured that out. The guy had wanted to grab Violet while Don wasn't around or was out, but he was almost always around, so he came up with another plan to get her. **

" **Thanks. Any idea where Violet is?", Don asked.**

" **Sorry Don, no sign of her yet. We put out an A.P.B out for her, with hope finding her alive and well, but we have no ideas", Stella replied, sadly.**

**Don sighed. " Oh well, I hope she's alright", he murmured, staring out the window.**

**Stella put her hand on his shoulder. " We all do, Don", she replied.**

" **Is there anything else I should know about?", he asked, almost wearily.**

" **Well, a little girl named Emma and a teenager named Jasmine just came into the hospital not too long ago, looking for you", Stella answered.**

**Don's eyes brightened at the mention of Emma. " Could you bring her in here?", Don asked.**

**Stella nodded and smiled at him. Then she turned and walked out into the hallway, coming in minutes later with Emma in tow. **

**Emma smiled at Don and ran over to him. He lifted her up onto the bed and into his lap. She put her arms around his neck and just stayed there. She muffled something that sounded like she missed him and he smiled.**

**Then Emma looked up at him and asked, " Where's Mom?"**

**Don frowned. He didn't quite know how to answer her without her getting extremely scared. So he said, " She's missing."**

" **Missing?", Jasmine asked, looking very confused and making her presence known to him.**

" **Yes. We got into an accident and when I woke up she wasn't here. We have no idea where she is. But she was taken", Don replied, sounding firm.**

" **Violet's been taken?", Jasmine replied with alarm.**

" **Yeah. We have our CSI's looking for her right now", Don replied, looking to Stella for confirmation.**

" **We're looking into everything now. Especially Don's vehicle. We're hoping to get some DNA", Stella replied.**

**Emma looked like she was about to cry and Don wished he could tell her everything would be alright, but he wasn't so sure it would be.**

" **Is Mommy going to be coming home?", Emma asked, her tears welling up.**

**Don pulled her into his chest and held her as she cried. He didn't quite know how to handle this. He wasn't a parent so he had no idea how to handle a little girl's tears. She clung to him as she cried and he tried to soothe her by rubbing her back and telling her it would be alright.**

**Stella watched Don with Emma for the few minutes after her heart wrenching question. He seemed at a loss of how to handle her, but she seemed to cling to him like he was her lifeline. She supposed that if Violet didn't make it, Don would end up with Emma.**

**Don seemed to be a natural at what he was doing because her tears soon started to slow down. Stella smiled when she saw his expression as he looked at Emma. He absolutely adored the little girl that clung to like glue. **

**When Stella had first seen Emma, she gaped at how much the girl looked like Don. She could be his…daughter, was what Stella thought, but she knew he had no children because he had never mentioned it. It was obvious Emma was Violet's daughter.**

**Stella now wondered if perhaps Emma was Don's child. She had his eyes and his hair colour. Stella was so sure that Emma was Don's. It seemed almost impossible that she wasn't. She wondered if Don knew, but then Stella mentally kicked herself and reminded herself that he would, of course, know that he had a child. There was no way he couldn't.**

**Emma just laid there on his chest and made herself comfortable. Don couldn't argue with this, he loved spending any and all time with Emma. There was never enough time, so he took what time he could get with a child he now thought of as his own.**

**Violet shook her head to make herself wake up. She had a crick in her neck now, thanks to the way her head lodged on her neck because of the chair. She remembered seeing a blurry shape and then darkness as he hit her.**

**She looked around as she tried to remember what he might have looked like, but she couldn't seem to see his face in her memory. He must have got her before she could get a look at him.**

**Trying as she might, she couldn't seem to get the ropes off her wrists yet. It appeared that her raw wrists were all for nothing. She kept moving them in order to hopefully get them to loosen, and she clenched her jaw as her wrists started to burn.**

**Adam looked away from the computer as he ran the DNA samples. He realized that under everything else he had forgotten about the DNA. Now he was running the samples against the evidence they had gotten from the last crime scene.**

**As it started to run them, Adam decided to go for a coffee. He knew that it could take awhile, and he was hungry. He hoped that they could a match, otherwise, it would all be for nothing.**

**When Adam came back with his coffee, he took a sip and then glanced at the computer screen, and choked on his coffee. He grabbed the printout and ran to find Stella or Mac.**


	20. Chapter 20

_**So I got some reviews and thanks guys!! I thought I messed up. I have two stories going and my mind must've been on the other story!!!! Sorry guys!! Thanks a lot!**_

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**Chapter 20: Light of Day**

" **It's who?", Mac asked.**

" **A Martin Rivers. Don and Violet went to go talk to him since he was one of the guys who complained a lot to the place about not getting any dates. He's the one who took Violet", Adam explained.**

" **How are you so sure? We didn't get any DNA from Don's car to compare it to, so it's all circumstantial evidence. We can't prove he has her", Stella replied.**

" **Well, it was evidence from the last two victim's car. Plus the partial we got that we thought we couldn't get anything from? Well, that matched his fingerprints. That guy was in jail for five months for sexually assaulting a woman", Adam replied. **

**And when nobody said anything, he added, " And he was the one who broke into Violet's neighbour's apartment and knocked out that girl."**

" **Okay, so we have something, but until we can get more evidence or a confession, we can't hold him for long. Do you have an address?", Mac asked.**

" **Yeah, here you go", Adam answered, handing Mac the sheet with Rivers' information on it.**

" **Thanks", Mac replied, heading out the door with Stella on his heels.**

" **I hope Violet's alright", Jasmine said into the silence.**

" **Yeah me too. More than you know", Don replied.**

" **So he just took her out of the car? How did he find her?", Jasmine asked.**

" **I don't know how he found her, but I do know he took the time to plan out her whole abduction. Starting with the drugs I was given. He somehow got into the precinct, and found a uniform. Then he got me coffee, figuring I'd need one, and would buy him some time if I didn't leave right away. The drugs had time to take effect, but in time for me to get up and leave with Violet. My guess is, he followed us, and then waited for me to fall asleep at the wheel", Don explained.**

" **Wow, all that just to get Violet? There has to be a reason why he wanted her badly enough that he would drug you just to get to her", Jasmine replied.**

" **I know what you mean. I haven't figured it all out yet", Don said.**

" **Well, go over what you know. Surely with both of us trying to figure it out, we should be able to come up with the answer", Jasmine said.**

**Don sat there thinking over everything he knew about the case.**

" **Okay, Don, you're thinking about it. I can't read your mind, you need to tell me what you know", Jasmine said.**

" **What the hell do you want from me?", Violet yelled.**

" **I want you to suffer as I have, Violet", the man said from the shadows.**

" **I don't even know you. What would I have done to cause you so much pain?", Violet snapped.**

" **Oh, I think you know me, alright. That little stint you did in Match Made in Heaven, that's when you met me", he replied.**

" **Yeah cause I remember all the people I've met over the past few months", Violet replied.**

" **Oh, you should remember me. You're the reason I killed all those people. Your rejection forced me to get rid of all those happy couples", he replied.**

" **I didn't force you to do anything. A killer is just someone with a sick mind who doesn't know right from wrong. And besides, I was out on assignment, and married, so it's all on your own conscience", Violet explained, feeling tired of killers saying that it was someone else's fault.**

**He came out of the darkness and nearly knocked her over. He yelled, " My conscience? It wasn't me who rejected you!"**

" **This is hardly **_**my**_** fault so**__**why don't you take some fucking responsibility!!", Violet screamed back at him.**

**He pushed her over onto the floor and she felt the breath whoosh out of her lungs. She laid there for a few minutes while he paced on the floor.**

**He came over to her side and kicked her hard in the side. " It's your responsibility, not mine", he muttered, then walked away.**

**Violet felt like there was a knife slicing and twisting through her side. She knew he had fractured a couple of ribs, at least, if not broken them completely.**

" **So she worked undercover at the same place this guy was a member of? So maybe she met him and he made a move on her?", Jasmine suggested.**

" **It's possible. He could've become obsessed with her and then she rejected him", Don agreed.**

" **She never dated in all the years you guys were separated, you know. She lived for Emma and work, that's all. So it's possible that while she was working, he was secretly obsessed with her and she told him to leave her alone. That could've caused him to go over the edge", Jasmine replied.**

" **It would make sense. So all this was just a revenge on Violet for rejecting him", Don said.**

" **Is this where the Rivers guy lives?", Mac asked.**

" **Yeah up in that apartment building", Stella answered.**

" **Okay, let's go up and ask him a few more questions", Mac said.**

" **Well, that was a disappointment", Mac said a few minutes later, as they entered the vehicle.**

" **Where would he be? If he's holding Violet, and I bet he is, he has to have a place", Stella replied, pulling out her cell phone and dialling a number.**

" **Yeah?", Adam answered.**

" **It's me, Stella. Look, that Martin guy, I want you to look up his finances. See if you can find a purchase for a house or a warehouse", Stella replied.**

" **Sure, hold on", Adam said. **

**Then Stella heard keys clicking and she knew Adam would have answers for her in minutes, if not seconds.**

" **Okay, there's a rental for a house in the lower East Side. I'll give you the address. You got a pen and paper?", Adam asked. Stella murmured her reassurance and he rattled off the address. She told Mac where to go and he took off with the lights going.**

" **Is this it?", Stella asked, pointing to the dumpy looking house that Mac had parked in front of.**

**Mac nodded and grabbed his gun. He got out and walked around, he grabbed their bullet-proof vests and handed one to Stella. Then they headed for the front door.**

" **Martin Rivers! NYPD!", Stella yelled. They heard a scrambling in the house and they kicked open the door.**

" **He's running, Stella! I got him, you search!", Mac yelled as he ran through the house.**

**She searched the ground floor but found nothing. So she headed into the kitchen and found a door to the basement.**

" **Hello? Violet? Are you down there?", Stella called, as she started downstairs.**

" **Stella! I'm over here!", Violet called from a corner just off to her left.**

**Stella ran over and started to untie her. " Are you okay?", she asked Violet.**

" **Yeah, I'm fine", Violet replied, as Stella helped her up.**

" **Thank goodness", Stella breathed, as she helped Violet outside into the light of day.**


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21: Heading Out**

" **So you getting ready to leave us?", Stella asked.**

**Violet looked up from the report she was writing. " Yeah, we caught the killer, so now it's time for me to leave. I'm going to miss this place, though", Violet answered, looking around the busy precinct.**

" **We're all gonna miss you too. Why won't you stay?", Stella replied.**

" **This isn't my place anymore. I came here to catch a killer and stop him from getting me and Emma. I'm sure Don's more than ready to get ready of her…and me by now", Violet said.**

" **That's not true. Don loves that little girl like his own. I do have a question for you, though", Stella replied.**

" **What is it?", Violet asked, turning back to her report.**

" **Is Emma Don's daughter?", Stella asked.**

**Violet stopped writing. She looked down at the report she was writing, however and thought about her answer. " What would make you say that?", Violet replied.**

" **Well, it's just that she has his eyes. And she's about the same age as the time you guys were married. He never mentioned having a daughter though. She is his though, isn't she?", Stella asked.**

" **Yeah, she is. We were married for five months before I left. However, in those five months, he managed to get me pregnant, and I didn't know until after a couple of weeks after leaving him", Violet answered.**

" **Why didn't you tell him? Emma seems like his pride and joy, does he even know now?", Stella replied.**

" **No, I never told him and he still doesn't know. He never once told me he loved me and yet I married him without it. I was so stupid. I can't stay though, he still doesn't love me, he never did. Desired me? Yes. But loved me? No. I won't put myself through that again", Violet murmured.**

" **But he has a right to know about his child", Stella argued.**

" **That might be true, but I lost my heart to him once and he handed it back to me shattered. I can't put my daughter through that, Stell. I won't let him hurt her like he did me, she may be young, but she knows more than she lets on", Violet explained.**

" **But he should know. Violet, someday Emma is gonna have questions, and what are you gonna tell her? What if Don finds out that she's his and you still never told him? He could take her away, do you want that?", Stella exclaimed.**

" **Don't you think I've thought of that? He's had five years, and probably lots of lovers, I won't let him take my freedom if he's only gonna stray. Did you ever think of that? Do you know what **_**that**_** would do to her? He's the reason I left in the first place, because he was never there, because he never listened to me! I can't take that again!", Violet yelled, standing up and walking away.**

" **Is he telling us anything?", Stella asked Mac as she walked into the interrogation room.**

" **Not as far as I can tell. Don's keeping him on his toes though. He's waiting for an opening, but he hasn't got one yet", Mac answered.**

" **Damn. I was hoping we could get a confession and throw this guy into jail for good", Stella replied.**

" **It appears not. This guy is being stubborn. He knows we have him but can only connect him to a couple of the things plus the kidnapping of Violet. By the way, how is she?", Mac asked.**

" **She's good. She finished her report so I believe she's leaving now. She was pretty mad when we finished talking", Stella answered.**

" **She may have good reason to be if we can't get this guy to crack", Mac replied.**

" **I hope he does, and soon", Stella said, then left the room.**

" **Violet? What are you doing here?", Jasmine asked, as Violet walked into the apartment.**

" **I'm packing before Don gets home. I want to be gone when he gets back. I can't deal with this anymore, is Emma asleep?", Violet babbled.**

" **Yeah, she is. Do you think that's best?", Jasmine replied.**

" **What I think is that I need to get out of here, for both my and Emma's sakes", Violet replied, throwing her clothes in her suitcase.**

" **I think you're running", Jasmine hinted.**

" **Maybe I am, but I'm doing it for Emma", Violet replied.**

" **I think you're trying to protect your heart from possibly being shattered by Don", Jasmine suggested.**

" **I am not. He is my husband, but in nothing else but name", Violet said.**

" **You two have a daughter together and probably many steamy nights. I highly doubt that it's just in name", Jasmine replied, grinning.**

" **Doubt what you want but I know that it was only in name", Violet threw back. She began to pack Emma's clothes in the suitcase as well.**

" **It's okay, Violet. You don't need to hide from your feelings, you know. It's not good for your health, not to mention mine", Jasmine said, placing her hand on Violet's arm to stop her.**

" **I'm not hiding, Jas. I'm not, really. And you don't need to bother yourself with me. I'll be fine, I am fine. Really, I'm alright, I just need to get out of here. Can you grab Emma for me?", Violet replied, picking up the suitcases.**

**Jasmine nodded and went to get Emma. Then they left Don's apartment. Violet felt extremely sad at leaving it all behind, but she knew it was for the best, for both her heart and her daughter's. **

**However, once she got home and they sat Emma down on her own bed, Violet felt the tears well up in her eyes and she let them fall.**


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22: Going Home**

**Don focussed on the computer screen but felt his mind skip all the reports and whatnot and refocus on Violet. He could still see her face so perfectly. It had been four days since she had left. Probably only too eager to get away from him.**

**He wished she would've stayed, but he didn't know how to tell her or what to tell her. It was too complicated with Emma being there and all. He felt like Violet had taken a piece of his heart with her, if not all of it. He had never felt so empty.**

" **Perhaps you should go to her", a voice suggested from behind him.**

" **What do you mean?", Don asked, swirling to face Danny.**

" **Well, if you want her so badly, why don't you go talk to her?", Danny repeated.**

" **Well, because…it's complicated. She has a daughter, who isn't mine. Why would I go and complicate her life further?", Don replied.**

" **Maybe because you love her", Danny suggested.**

" **Umm…er…no, I…do", Don realized. Understanding dawned on him. It's why he was so miserable now that she was gone and why he was so scared when she was kidnapped. It all made sense now, and he didn't see it soon enough, he also realized.**

" **I thought so. Look, Don, there's still a window of hope if you want to get her back", Danny said.**

" **What chance do I have? I may love her, but she may not love me back. Also, she wouldn't want to give false hope to Emma that I'm her father. It wouldn't be right", Don replied.**

" **Well, what if I told you that you were Emma's father?", Stella asked from behind him.**

" **How would you even know that?", Don replied, turning around to face her.**

" **Well, she told me. Don, you may have only been married for five months, but it still gave her time to get pregnant. She found out after she left you", Stella answered.**

" **Why didn't she ever call me?", Don wondered aloud.**

" **She thought you would call for a divorce and wouldn't want a baby, being as young as you guys were. She was doing it to protect you and her", Stella replied.**

" **Why would she be protecting herself?", Don asked.**

" **Because she loved you", Stella answered simply.**

" **Then why didn't she stay?", Don asked, torn.**

" **You weren't there for her as a husband. You were always at work, she said. You didn't listen to her, yes, you made time when you were around to be with her in the bedroom, but you weren't there for her any other time", Stella replied, matter-of-factly.**

" **I was too there for her!", Don exclaimed, then sat down and added sadly, " Okay, maybe I wasn't there for her a whole lot."**

" **Yeah, she already told me that. I knew it all along. But you could change that. Don, you guys are still married, you could still go after her. You know what's in your heart, act on it", Stella suggested.**

" **Thanks guys, that helps. But I'm sure she doesn't love me. Even if Emma is mine, I won't put them both through that, especially if Violet doesn't even want me. That would be pointless", Don replied.**

" **It wouldn't be. She loves you, Don. She always has, but she's been waiting for you to show her your love for the past five years and she's ready to give up entirely and finally do what she thought you would do when she left. Divorce", Stella said.**

" **She loves me?", Don asked, incredulously.**

" **Yes, she does. Very much. Why do you think that she kept the one thing that would always remind her of you? Emma is the very image of you, and that's why Violet wouldn't let her go. She wanted to remember you whether you loved her or not", Stella replied.**

" **I can't just show up there and ask her to come back. I need something surprising", Don mused.**

" **Well, you mentioned something about her going undercover at that dating place. What if she still goes there? Just to get out every once and awhile", Stella suggested.**

" **That could work. I'm gonna go find out for sure", Don replied, grabbing his coat and heading for the door. He turned around and said, " Thank you, both of you." And then he left.**

" **Why don't you just admit that you miss him?", Jasmine asked.**

" **Miss who?", Violet replied.**

" **You know exactly who I mean", Jasmine said.**

" **I don't miss him", Violet replied, indignantly.**

" **I miss him too, you know, and so does Emma", Jasmine said.**

**Violet sighed. " I know. That's all she asks about. When are we going to see Don? She doesn't even call him that anymore. She keeps calling him "daddy". Tell me that's good for her", Violet replied.**

" **Well, it is his appropriate name", Jasmine teased.**

" **That's besides the point, Jasmine, and you know it", Violet replied.**

" **Okay, you know what? I'll take care of Emma tonight. You go out and mingle", Jasmine said suddenly.**

" **What? No, I can't do that. I have responsibilities", Violet replied.**

" **Oh do it. Look, the only other time you've left this apartment is when you go to work. Now, go get ready", Jasmine pushed.**

**Violet grimaced at the teenager but got up and headed for her bedroom. After a freshening up, she was ready to go. **

**Don looked around the room. It was the lock-and-key night, and it was also the night Violet usually went to. He hoped to God she was there tonight. If not, he would keep trying until he found her.**

**He continued to search the room until his eyes landed on a woman about Violet's height and weight. She also had the same hair length and colour. He couldn't see her face, but he wanted her to turn around so he could.**

**He kept watching her in the hopes that she would feel it and turn around. He almost gave up when she finally turned and faced him. She looked shocked to see him there, but she started forward anyways.**

" **What are you doing here?", Violet asked, softly. She didn't look angry, or upset or anything, just curious.**

" **Well, I didn't know how else to contact you without seeming too creepy", Don answered.**

" **And this isn't creepy? How did you find me here?", Violet asked.**

" **I didn't for sure know that you would be here. I just asked the girl at the front desk about you. Took me showing her my badge and saying it was police business for her to tell me anything", Don replied, grinning.**

" **Why did you want to find me?", Violet asked, feeling a sliver of hope shimmering through her.**

" **I wanted to tell you something. Well, it's also kind of asking you something", Don answered.**

" **Okay, what is it?", Violet replied.**

" **Well, the thing is, I love you, I always have, but I just realized how much. And I'm so sorry for driving you away, I should've paid more attention to you", Don rambled.**

" **I know. It's not your fault, I forgave you the first time I saw you again…sort of. It took some time, but I forgive you", Violet replied.**

**Don pulled something out of his pocket and took the lock that was hanging on her neck. He put the key in and twisted. It clicked open.**

" **Looks like I have the key to your heart", Don murmured.**

" **I guess you do. Another one of the things you got by showing your badge?", Violet replied, softly.**

**Don nodded, grinning unrepentantly. Then he sobered up and handed her the key.**

" **No, Don, I love you. You can keep the key, you've always held it anyways", Violet replied, handing it back to him.**

" **Are you sure? Would you be willing to come back home with me? You and Emma?", Don asked, excited.**

" **I already put in a transfer", Violet replied, then leaned up and kissed him.**

**They started for the door when Violet said, " Emma's your daughter, you know."**

**He looked back at her. " I know", he replied.**

" **How?", Violet asked, curious.**

" **A little birdie told me. Now let's go home", Don replied. She nodded and followed him out of the dating place.**

**The End**


	23. NOT A CHAPTER! IMPORTANT MESSAGE!

Greetings to the fine folk that moderate our site.

Myself, along with many, have been writing and posting on your fine site for years now, some of the better examples of up and coming writers out there are now suddenly finding some of the stories we've come to love at risk of being removed without the chance to even rectify our errors.

For some, that means the permanent loss of a story. While I don't have anything that I believe violates your terms of use, there are those out there that are never able to recover a story in its original form, this is something I find to be almost worthy of a legal action, as while we cannot claim ownership of a character, the stories are OURS and simply destroying them is something that is inexcusable.

It's quite easy to simply add an MA rating, additional filters or even a simple requirement for a free membership to read the stories presented here, and would cut down on hateful anonymous reviews and posts at the same time, so I have to question as to why such a thing, in all this time, simply wasn't added.

If you're worried about falsification of a registration then have an appropriate disclaimer and then there can be no dispute, you took your steps and the PARENTS didn't monitor their children, if that is even your concern. If it is more of a personal view or desire then please at least let people know and give them a chance to remove a story that you and yours find offensive, most people on the site are actually rather cordial when it comes to such requests.

While I cannot say for sure if this letter will even reach those that may be willing to listen, of if it's more akin to a wide spectrum purge in preparation for something bigger, please understand that you are going to be looseing a LARGE number of your writers, and thus your income from a lack of readers if there is not some level of action taken to help with this situation.

For those that may agree with this, please feel free to sign on and send this to the support server, maybe we can get some movement on this.

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Rocketman1728

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Jay Frost

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Blood Brandy

Dusk666

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The Dark Graven

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If you could do what some other authors have done and post this petition as a temporary new chapter on some of your stories to help spreed the word? It would help a lot it's how I found out about this.


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